Vote for Books!

Our school election, Vote for Books, is in full swing! The students have all had an introduction to how an election works, discussed the difference between authors and illustrators, learned about the Caldecott and Newbery awards, previewed the authors and illustrators that will be on the ballots, chosen their party (authors or illustrators), and registered to vote! Whew! In the next two weeks, kindergarten through 2nd grades will learn the importance of voting and see how each vote counts; third and fourth grades will learn how to conduct a poll, graph their data, and discuss the relevance of their results; fifth graders will learn about debates and compose questions for their debate during our school convention. Here is a rundown of the dates for the rest of the election:

1. Primary vote will be Friday, October 17. Please have your ballot box decorated (include your name or room number) and ready by this date. I will put the ballots in your box along with a break down of the party your students joined. Please bring your ballot box to the library after your class has voted. The winning candidates for each party will be announced on Monday's morning news.

2. Convention will be the morning of Thursday, October 30. Each class will be a "delegation," walking into the cafeteria with their delegate sign (courtesy of Mrs. Woodlief). Each grade level will perform a little skit or song, with the fifth grade having a debate. I will need each teacher to recommend 2 students from their class to participate on stage in the skit or song (by Friday, Oct. 17th). 1st grade will do a chant, second grade will do a song, TMH will do a cheer, fourth grade will do a reading rap, third grade will introduce the candidates and their works, and we will finish with the fifth grade debate (I will select the participating 5th graders).

3. Final vote will be Tuesday, November 4th. I will have returned your ballot boxes to you and put the ballots in your box. Please bring the box to the library when your class has voted. Results will be announced on Wednesday's morning news.

Some ideas of what you can do in the classroom during the next few weeks:

1. Campaign! Campaigning is encouraged! Have your class make posters, buttons, brochures for their nominee.

2. Author and Illustrator Keynote: I have saved the author and illustrator keynote (Mac ppt) I used in lessons in quicktime movie format and will upload it on the share drive. This would be good to show to your class to review the authors, illustrators, and their works before the primary vote.

3. Videos: watch the Brainpop and Brainpop JR. videos on elections and voting. Safari Montage has many choices as well.

4. Teachingbooks.net: go to www.teachingbooks.net for a plethora of resources on the different authors and illustrators. There are videos of the illustrators demonstrating how they make their illustrations, interviews with the authors, and links to author websites. There is even a feature where students can hear the pronunciation of an author and/or illustrator's name spoken by the author and illustrator! It is an incredibly valuable resource.

5. District resources: The district resource guide is linked from the library webpage on the teacher's page. There is also a video of instructions on using the resource guide. 

6. Student resources: I will be putting links for kid-friendly election resources on the student page of the library website, too. I'll send an email when I have added this.

FYI: Here are the illustrators and authors again:

ILLUSTRATORS: AUTHORS:

Jan Brett Avi

Janell Cannon Judy Blume

Eric Carle Eve Bunting

Kevin Henkes Matt Christopher

Ezra Jack Keats Beverly Cleary

Leo Lionni Andrew Clements

Dav Pilkey Christopher Paul Curtis

Jerry Pinkney Roald Dahl

Patricia Polacco Kate Dicamillo

Allen Say Lois Lowry

Maurice Sendak Mary Pope Osborne

Dr. Seuss Barbara Park

Chris Van Allsburg Rick Riordan

David Weisner JK Rowling

Mo Willems Cynthia Rylant

Vera B. Williams Louis Sachar

Jon Scieszka

RL Stine

I will put a voter's registration card in your boxes so that you will be able to vote as well. Have fun with this! This kids are super excited! Thanks for all you do and for collaborating with me to make our CTE kids successful and to ensure they have fun while learning.

25 Book Campaign Update

25-Book Campaign:

Here is the latest information on the Superintendent's Star Reader Book Club (25 book standard):

Book Equivalents:

*Every 50-100 pages of text or pictures with text depending upon grade appropriateness

*4-8 short stories

*9-12 articles from periodicals or electronic media

*15-20 poems

*read-alouds DO count

*shared reading in kg-1st count

*independent reading counts

*summer reading counts

As soon as a student reaches 25 books, please email me their names so that I can post it. Remember that students need to reach 25 books by the second week in April to be invited to the Superintendent's Reading Celebration (summer reading counts!). Invitations will be sent no later than Friday, May 1st, with RSVP forms due back by Friday, May 8th. The reading celebration will be held Saturday, May 30, 2009 in Metropolitan Park from 10-1.

Folders:

As students bring in their supplies, remember that one pocket folder in the following colors is for library. You may put these folders in my box or on the circulation desk with your name on a sticky note. THANKS!

KG: yellow 1st: orange 2nd: red

3rd: purple 4th: blue 5th: green

Book checkout:

Mrs. Clapsaddle is here for book checkout from 9 AM-12:00, 12:30-2:30. You may send students with library passes anytime during these hours. Thanks!

Beginning of Year Info

A few housekeeping issues for a smooth start of the school year:

* As the library permission slips get returned (purple or pink sheets), please put them in my box. 

* As you do DRAs, please turn in students' GRLs to me so that I can add it to their record in the Destiny database. Thanks!

*Olympic Games resources and activities for kids have been added to the library website on the students' page. It's a great way to tie in our school theme, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work, with current events!

*I have added some reading resources for you (teachers) on the library website on the teachers' page under the language arts link. The following were added:

Book Hive: From the Public Library of Charlotte, this site has great reviews of books plus students can add their favorite booklist.

Children's Literature Index: A search engine for books and web sites that have activities and teaching ideas for specific book titles.

Mighty Book: Students can listen to and read along to audio stories.

Mona Kerby's The Reading Corner: Book reviews for students, plus a search-by-genre feature!

Reading Rainbow: The official website to go along with the videos. Lots of reading activities and contests.

Story book Online: Students can write stories collaboratively online.

World of Reading: From the Ann Arbor District Library, this has links to authors, plus a feature where students can submit their own book reviews!

*Library Passes should be in your boxes this week

*Books for your units according to the Academic Learning Glass schedule will be pulled for you this week. Check out your grade level's colored bins behind the circulation desk!

*Finally, don't be a bench warmer left on the sidelines! If you send home a weekly newsletter to parents, make sure you send it to me as well so that I can add it to the virtual bookbag on our website! Also, if you have a class website or a class blog or other on-line newsletter, make sure I have the link so that I can add it to your name on the faculty page.

*Finally, thanks for a GREAT opening day and ...GO MUSTANGS!

Welcome to Our New Teachers!

Please be sure and give a warm welcome to our new teachers. Please read their bios to get to know them a bit before school starts, and leave a comment to welcome them into our Chaffee Trail family. Leave any tips, hints, words of wisdom, or advice to make their transition smooth.

ALLISON BLOUNT: Kindergarten

I grew up in Jacksonville, the older of two children. I graduated from FSU undergrad, and received my masters from UNF. This summer, I got married to Adam and we have bought a house off Alta on the Northside. We are currently debating whether or not to get a dog; we want a chocolate lab, but right now are too busy to devote the time needed for a puppy!

I enjoy reading, and my favorite author is James Patterson. When I have spare time I like to scrapbook. I also teach dance at Scott Jones School of Dance and during the summer I work for COJ Aquatics Department.

I'm really excited to be teaching kindergarten at Chaffee. For the past year I have listened to Lucia, Terry, and Betty rave about how great it is to be a part of the Chaffee family, so I had to come see for myself! I am thankful to be given the opportunity to join the family. I am already loving everything about the school. The faculty I have met so far has been very welcoming. I am excited to begin the school year!

TERRY STUCKEY: Kindergarten

I am married and have 3 children, Jay III, Melody, and Joel. Jay III teaches biology at Ed White High School and his wife Erin teaches 2nd grade at Doctor's Inlet Elementary. Melody taught speech therapy in Clay County last year, but she and her husband are moving to Boone, NC for her to begin graduate school this fall. Joel is attending FCCJ. My husband is pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church. So, you can see, we are all involved in the educational system!

I began teaching in 2001. After volunteering in Joel's kindergarten classroom, I fell in love with teaching kindergarten. I returned to school a few years later and received a degree in Early Childhood Education from UNF. I taught at Hyde Grove Elementary for 4 years and Greenland Pines Elementary for 3 years. I am excited about joining the Chaffee Trail family. The kindergarten teachers have welcomed me and made me feel at home. 

When I am not teaching, I enjoy playing the piano, reading, and working in my garden.

ELLISA WILLIAMS: Intermediate Support-Level Services Class (formerly TMH)

I am originally from Vermont and have 3 brothers, one of them being my twin! I have five nieces and nephews that I constantly dote on. I am a BIG Boston Red Sox fan and love spending time with friends and family. I am an old soul who loves old music, food, and relaxing with friends.

I have been teaching for 20 years, and I love teaching TMH because the kids always make me smile. I am still learning so much from my students! I always try and teach them through my example of treating all people with dignity and respect.

I am excited to come to teach at Chaffee Trail to meet new people (and be with old friends, Kelli McGreevy!), share new ideas, and learn from each other. Change is regenerating and refreshing, and I am excited to make new friends and have this Chaffee family an extension of my life.

MEGAN PRESTON: 5th grade ELA

I just moved to Jacksonville from Gainesville, FL, where I lived for about 6 years and went to school (Go Gators!). I am happy to be near the beach again, since I grew up in Naples and have missed it while living in central Florida. In addition to relaxing in the sun, I like running, attempting to cook, reading, and teaching. :)

I am very excited to start my first year of teaching at Chaffee Trail this year. I am looking forward to meeting the students and getting to know everyone at Chaffee. Everyone I have met so far is very enthusiastic and has said great things about the school. One thing I really love about teaching is hearing the stories and opinions of the students and listening to what they have to say. For this reason, I am especially excited to teach 5th grade English and Language Arts and I can't wait to see how the students will grow throughout the year in both areas. I am also really looking forward to using the technology and so many other resources that are available!

ROBYN PUTTICK: 5th grade ELA

I was born and raised in Tampa, FL, which instilled in me a fierce love of the Gulf of Mexico, sandy beaches, thunderstorms, seafood, and Cuban cuisine. I met my husband, Richard, at Flagler College in St. Augustine. I was majoring in fine arts, but was whisked away with him and his career before graduating. We have a 20 yr. old daughter, Jessica, who is a sophomore in college, currently planning on a foreign language degree and world travel. We also have a 15 yr. old son, Jake, who is a sophomore this year in the Cinematic Arts department at Douglas Anderson. In all of my spare time :), I love to make stuff: drawing, painting, baking, sewing, jewelry, and photography. I'm addicted to traveling and tend to get wanderlust every few months or so. I have several itineraries planned at this very moment and could probably be considered an amateur travel agent. I also LOVE reading and going to the movies, especially historical fiction (nerd).

Whenever I tell friends and family that this year I'm making the move from 2nd grade to 5th grade they all say, "That's perfect for you!" I think they might be right. I love spending my day with kids. And even though I love it when the light bulb goes on for a student, I love it even more when my students teach ME new things. I love that my job is never boring! I'm really looking forward to the positive atmosphere at Chaffee Trail where creativity, collaboration, and diversity are valued. And I'm thrilled to be working with the best ever art teacher and the best ever media specialist once again!

We welcome all of you new, fab teachers to Chaffee Trail and are looking forward to you joining our "team" in making the dream work! Please leave a comment-

"Wow! That's just about all I can say, is WOW!"

What a week, what a year! I am so very honored and humbled to be named your Duval County Teacher of the Year. I fully understand that I am a representative of you ALL who work so tirelessly and diligently in the most important of fields- education. I assure you I take my role seriously and will represent you to the very best of my ability, with professionalism, humor, and care. I realize some of you were unable to be present at the EDDYs, and wanted you to know how much I appreciate being your co-worker, so please indulge me while I repeat my thank you's from the evening.

"Thank you! Thank you to the Teacher of the Year committee for this immense honor, and to the Alliance for World-Class Education and this evening's sponsors for this wonderful opportunity to celebrate the field of teaching. We teachers very much appreciate the acknowledgment of the importance of education, and the vital role we play.

Silas and Hayley, thank you for your fabulous introduction. I hope you will always remember tonight and know that you are the reason that we teachers teach: to develop your enormous potential and engage and empower you. Silas, you once said that you wanted to be me when you grew up. Keep up your good work in school, and each of you could be up here one day!

To the Chaffee Trail teachers and staff, you have no idea how very proud I am to represent you, and I thank you for maintaining a culture of family, collaboration, and excellence at our 'fine, fine school!' As you know, one of my roles is to help teachers teach, and your enthusiasm, interest, and tireless devotion to our students makes my job and absolute delight.

To my team, the best resource team in the district, I love you all dearly! As Beverly says, "We're over the top!" and I thank you for being the best at developing the whole child and the whole brain with laughter, fun, and passion.

To Dawn, the best assistant ever, you must know that I couldn't do what I do without you. Thank you for getting to know our students and caring about them, for your excellence in your work, and for your uncanny ability to read my mind!

Maggie and Kathryn, I love being the three musketeers with you! We make an amazing team and I value your insight, input, and hard work. Our talents are multiplied together, and not only does Chaffee Trail benefit from our leadership, but I benefit from knowing each of you. Thank you.

Beverly Walker, as the song says, 'Where you lead, I will follow.' I cannot begin to succinctly express what your support of not only me, but of a strong media program, means to me. Thank you, especially in these times of severe budget cuts, for knowing the impact that a quality school library program has on student achievement, and for making that a priority at Chaffee Trail. You are one in a million, and I thank you for fostering a sense of family, for treating us as professionals, and for making Chaffee Trail such a fun place to work.

Finally, I couldn't have achieved this with out the enormous support of my family. I thank my parents, sister-in-law, nephew, and Marcia, my soul sister, for caring enough to travel here to help me celebrate. My boys, Bryan and Danny, please know how very proud your father and I are of you. You are fine young men, and though you often think I'm crazy for working so hard, I hope one day you realize that when one does purposeful work, it doesn't seem like work at all. Donald, I cannot believe my good fortune when you said yes, you would marry me twenty-one years ago! Thank you for supporting me in all your MANY ways and for realizing that my work matters and for being proud of me, I love you dearly.

Thank you all again. I am blessed to have all your influences shape the person and teacher I am, so in essence, I share this honor with each of you. Thank you."

21st Century Education

We knew from our first gathering last May that our brand new school here at Chaffee Trail was being labeled as "A School of the Future!" How exciting! We would have brand new all-Apple technology, voice-enhancement systems, and cool "Jetsons" furniture. Yet now that we are over half-way through the school year, I began to wonder how far we have come in truly being a school of the future. I found a fantastic article on 21st century education that describes my teaching philosophy and pedagogy exactly. I urge you to read it at http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm (Click on the title of blog for direct link). I think we have so many wonderful teaching practices in place here at Chaffee, and we have built such great community, but the recommendations in this article would be a good place to guide us in goals for future years so that we do continue to grow and become truly "A School of the Future!" Let me know what you think!

Benefits of Flexible Scheduling

I have written so much about flexible scheduling in this Teacher-of-the-Year quest, that I feel that everyone must know the benefits to our students by now! Yet it dawned on me that you, the staff at Chaffee Trail, have not read my packet and so may not be as well aware of the many advantages of a student-centered, open-access library program.

Some of the benefits you have hopefully gleaned yourself: the library as an extension of the classroom, collaboration, research and projects for units taught in the classroom, help with social studies and science standards and pacing, etc. Yet it is in what the students gain from flexible scheduling that makes this the only choice for a 21st Century School of the Future. Flexible scheduling is best practices in education. Many districts across the nation now mandate it, and more and more elementary schools in Duval County are putting it into action. I am proud we are one of the leaders in the county.

To fully understand the impact on student learning, I'll compare the fifth-grade project on mapping natural disasters executed with flexible scheduling to what could be done with a fixed library schedule. Fifth grade science standards include learning about plate tectonics and the effects of the shift in the plates on the earth (earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, landslides). Students came to the library for three days. The first day, they gained background knowledge on the various disasters through literature (How to Dig a Hole through the Other Side of the World, by Faith McNulty) and video segments from National Geographic. I previewed the project they would be researching and went over the directions. The next day the students worked in 3 teams (formed by the classroom teacher) researching in three centers: non-fiction books, reference materials, and the EDMAT database on the computers. They would be documenting the different natural disasters with place, date, and interesting information like numbers affected and cost. Students accessed information through use of index, table of contents, guide words, key words, and search terms on the database. They learned the importance of using a database versus a search engine like "Google." They engaged the sources and determined which was the important information for their task. They used graphic organizers to chart their notes on that information. The next day, they continued in the centers then used globes and atlases to map their disasters they documented on their charts. They then wrote the information they researched on large letters for each of the disasters (L=landslide, A=avalanche, E=earthquake, T=tsunami- in every class there were students who were surprised tsunami began with a "t", and V=volcano). The letters were then put into position on the giant 12-foot map in the main hall by the 4th and 5th grade hallway. This was the critical part of the project. Once students saw the disasters mapped large and graphically, they could see the pattern of the plates and features like the ring of fire where there were so many volcanoes. I can't tell you how many light bulbs went off for students as they said to me, "Ohhhhh! I get it now." One student told me that the map was actually backwards because North and South America were on the right- another teachable moment that our earth is actually round. Flexible scheduling allows for project-based learning where students synthesize the skills learned and research gleaned. This is where higher-level learning occurs and where students are engaged in their learning. 

It also leads to inquiry and questioning. Mrs. Bradley told me that she brought her class on a little field trip to see the giant map, and they wanted to know why there weren't any hurricanes. It was a great question, especially being here in Florida! But here's a teaching tip: don't answer them. Instead, ask them those key questions I wrote about in an earlier post. You could tell a first grader that the map was of disasters affected by changes in the earth's crust and plate tectonics, but how effective would that be? Instead, ask them, "What does a hurricane look like? (form)" (First graders will give you GREAT answers, like, "It's really, really, really windy and rainy and the guy in the yellow coat has to hang on to a tree while he's trying to talk into the microphone thingy on TV..."). Then ask them, "What does a volcano look like?" ("It's SO cool 'cause red, hot, steamy lava and goo comes out of a mountain and if you touched it, like, you'd have to wear a band-aid the rest of your life!") "What does an earthquake look like?" ("The ground just starts shaking and it cracks open and buildings shake and people scream and things start falling everywhere") "If a hurricane looks like wind and rain, then what do you think causes a hurricane? (causation)" ("Umm...Well, wind and rain are part of the weather...") "If a volcano is red goo coming out of a mountain, and an earthquake is the ground shaking and cracking open, and a landslide is the ground sliding down from a mountain, how are those connected? (Connection)" ("I don't know...maybe it all happens to a mountain or the ground?") "Great! So a hurricane is caused by the weather, and all the disasters on this map are caused by changes in the ground or the earth!" Tah-dah! Six and Seven year-olds have just figured out their own question with your help and will actually understand it on their terms.

Now... let's imagine this project done on a fixed schedule. The last time I taught on a fixed schedule, students went to resources on a 12-day rotation. So students came to the library once about every three weeks. That means that to do a multi-day, project-based lesson, it would have taken 9 weeks (one whole quarter) to do this project. I'm pretty sure the pacing guide doesn't have this science unit lasting all quarter! So students come the first time to gain their background knowledge and preview the project. They don't come again for 3 more weeks, while in the meantime, they have forgotten everything from the first lesson. They are expected to jump right in working in their groups on their centers, but we will need to review how to extract information from non-fiction resources, encyclopedias, atlases, and databases. Three weeks later, students are supposed to finish their centers, but they don't remember what to do in each center or which ones their group completed. They also wonder why they're still doing this when they're finished with natural disasters in class and have already taken the formative assessment... You get the picture. It simply wouldn't work. The only thing that works with a fixed schedule, is teaching research skills in isolation. Yet on a flexible schedule, skills are taught in collaboration with the classroom work with project-based research where students can synthesize their skills for the higher-level learning that we want for all of our students!  

February Happenings

Wow! So much is happening in the library this month. A few reminders:

• Don't forget the Reading Rainbow writing contest deadline is the end of this month. If you haven't done so already, print out and send home the permission slips for those students whose work you will be submitting. Remember that Mrs. Woodlief has volunteered to help students with their illustrations if needed.
• I have received the deadlines for submitting names to the district for the 25 (and up) book certificates and prizes. All names must be in to me by Friday, April 25 so that I can turn them in to the district. Thanks!

You may notice some "worldly" work going up in the halls. 5th grade students have been having a blast researching and mapping natural disasters and then posting their finds on the giant world map put up in the hall by the 4th and 5th grade wing. By the end of the week the world should be covered with with a plethora of avalanches, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. Students worked in groups in centers using tables of contents and indexes from non-fiction resources to find information on their assigned disaster; they used encyclopedias, atlases and almanacs in the reference center, and the ED-MAT disaster database from the library website in the computer center. They charted their findings, then used globes and atlases to map their disasters. They then wrote their research on letters for each disaster to be placed on the giant world map in the hall. In mapping their disasters, they came up with questions like, "How come tsunamis don't happen in Florida?" and "Why does Japan seem to have all the action?" Through their questions, they learned all about plate tectonics and the volatile nature of the earth from it's iron core out.

2nd graders are about to have some fun creating podcasts from knowledge learned researching habitats. Classes were assigned a particular habitat and worked together as a class to make a giant graphic organizer of the animals, plants, food, shelter and description of each habitat from information extracted in a non-fiction book. They then created drawings of their habitats in art class with Mrs. Woodlief. We read one of my all-time favorite books, Weslandia, about a boy who is a bit of an outcast and creates his own habitat with everything he needs to survive. Students will then work as a class to write a narrative story on their habitat based on Weslandia. They will take turns recording the story, and we will add their artwork in to create a podcast. 

4th graders are getting in on some electronic action as well as we make "public service announcements" using i-movie. 4th graders are learning all about the human body. They will work in teams to research in centers each of the body systems, then write and enact a commercial as creatively as they wish on what we need to/should do to keep our body systems healthy and working together. We'll see if we can't air some of these masterpieces on the morning news show!

Third graders have gone back in time to research ancient civilizations for report writing in Writers Workshop. They are getting excited to use their research and reports as a springboard for creating interactive museums. You may need to schedule a special field trip for your class in March to go to the 2nd and 3rd grade hall to explore Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Greece!

Lastly but definitely not least, kg, 1st, and TMH classes are continuing on in our quest to find our favorite book from this year's Florida Children's Book Award list. We have read half of the books so far, and I think we will have a very difficult decision when it comes time to vote. Maybe we need to assign some super delegates???

Have a great week!

Learning Concepts through Key Questions

So I've blogged on teaching in an information-rich, technology rich environment and getting away from the lecture/text book method of instruction, and I've blogged on teaching using essential questions rather than objectives to formulate curriculum. Now I'd like to take that a bit further and talk about using key questions when teaching concepts. In my training for International Baccalaureate, one of the many best practices that I was impressed with was their written curriculum (what do we want to learn) divided into five main elements: concepts, knowledge, skills, attitude, and action. Concepts are basically what we want our students to understand: form, function, causation, change, connection, perspective, responsibility and reflection. These are demonstrated through key questions for each concept:

• form: what is it like?
• function: how does it work?
• causation: why is it like this?
• change: how is it changing?
• connection: how is it connected to other things?
• perspective: what are the points of view?
• responsibility: what is our responsibility?
• reflection: how do we know?

In my former library, I painted these questions in giant quote bubbles over the library shelves, and every classroom posted these questions prominently for students to see and use. These key questions are wonderful for initiating inquiry from students and for helping with transdisciplinary skills. If you get in the habit of referring to these questions when teaching your units, and more importantly, getting the students to use these questions when learning, then you will be amazed at the connections students make, the wonder they develop, and the interest and engagement they generate. Try posting these questions in your room and integrate one into your instruction each week. You already are familiar with having students ask what are the connections through Readers and Writers Workshops (text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world), so try adding another this week and watch your students question, think, and reflect! Let me know how it goes! 

DRAs

As you complete DRAs on your classes, please send me the updated Guided Reading levels so that I may update the library database. Thanks!

Library Schedule

Look for an email for the library schedule for the rest of the month. You may notice that Mrs. Harwell's name appears many times on the schedule. Maggie, Katherine, and I will be going to the fourth grade classrooms a couple of days a week to conference with students on their writing during Writers Workshop. I have scheduled this time into the calendar. Thank you for your understanding of our time spent with these students to help them which will reflect positively on our school which we ALL support! :)

Fairy Tales, Tall Tales, and Folk Tales- Oh My!

What is the difference between a fairy tale and a folk tale? This question came up during a Lunch and Learn session, and I thought all grade levels could benefit from some information on the subject.

Folk tales (or folk lore) are defined as "all forms of narrative, written or oral which have come to be handed down over the years." It is the comprehensive, umbrella term for a story handed down through time by word of mouth. They are part of oral tradition, are culturally influenced, often are based on human behaviors, and have survived through hundreds of years. They were a way to bring news from one village to the next, and used to teach lessons to their children and to help understand the customs of their village. Collections of fairy tales have been collected by known authors such as the brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, but the authors of the individual tales are unknown. Literary fairy tales are the tales created by known authors such as Hans Christian Anderson. Fairy tales, tall tales, legends, myths, pourquoi tales, and trickster tales are all considered folk lore.

Traits of fairy tales include a magical element and show both ends of the spectrum: rich and poor, good and evil, reward and punishment. They are enchanted places where all things are possible and end happily. The magical element can include fantastic creatures such as a troll, unicorn, or ogre, or animals personified. Things often happen in threes, happen to royalty, and are a result of a spell or curse.

Legends are stories from the past that are believed to have happened to a historical figure. They are associated with a particular place and time in history. They often tell of the adventures of a hero or an incident that has grown with storytelling to have a larger than life quality.

A myth is a sacred story from the past. It may explain the origins of the world and/or life, or explain moral values in human terms. They give a scientific basis for certain human failings or explanations of events not understood scientifically. They are religious in their origin and function to relate the relationship between gods or powers and the human world.

Fables are brief, didactic tales in which animals or the elements speak as humans. These usually teach a moral lesson.

Tall tales are characterized by exaggeration and are mainly derived from American culture. They include a larger-than-life hero and exaggerated details.

Trickster tales are tales with a mischievous or foolish main character who outwits or tricks another character with cunning and subversive humor to compensate for a physical weakness.

Pourquoi tales are tales that illustrate how or why things exist in nature, like Why Do Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears or How Did the Leopard Get His Spots.

Folk tales are housed in 398.2 (social sciences) Dewey section of the library due to their cultural influences and the representations of a country or culture.
(summarized from LM_NET archives)

Hope this helps!

Designing Curriculum Through Essential Questions

To elaborate on the previous post of teaching in an information and technology-rich environment, and getting away from the lecture/text mentality, I thought it would be helpful to explain a bit on writing curriculum, starting with essential questions. An essential question is basically what you want the students to examine and learn from the unit being taught- the most important concepts from which students will derive the most meaning. It gives students the purpose of their learning and helps to focus tasks and projects on the essential learning. Many teachers begin a lesson or unit with an "objective:" students will learn the three branches of government as organized on the US Constitution. However, by focusing instruction beginning with an essential question, the teacher is instead provoking thought and encouraging investigation and inquiry from students. Imagine the difference beginning with "How is the Constitution the backbone structure of America?" rather than the previous objective. Which do you think a student would be more excited over: "Students will learn to recognize personal responsibility to their community," or "What do I owe my community...Or do I?" Essential questions can be simple and still be thought provoking. "What is snow?" "What flies?" can elicit questions from students such as "Is artificial snow still snow?" and responses such as time and ideas in addition to birds, butterflies, and squirrels (ever seen Rocky and Bullwinkle?!).

Tips for writing essential questions:
1. Each child should be able to understand the question
2. The language of the questions should be written in broad, organizational terms
3. The question should reflect your conceptual priorities (you are limited in time; this helps organize what you want students to think about, write about, speak about, and develop)
4. Each question should be distinct and substantial (it should cue students to the set of activities they will be examining)
5. Questions should not be repetitious
6. The questions should be realistic given the amount of time allocated for the unit or course
7. There should be a logical sequence to a set of essential questions
8. The questions should be posted in the classroom
(Above is summarized from Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment by Heidi Hayes Jacobs)

Let me give an example on how this works:
You check the science pacing guide and realize you are woefully behind and there is a school visit in two weeks. You have two weeks to teach the water cycle, so you check the text to see how many sections students will have to read each day to get the information. Oops. There's no way. Who designed these pacing guides anyway? They obviously aren't a classroom teacher! OK. Plan B. You check the formative to see what the students are expected to know after you teach the unit (No, this isn't cheating. It is important to know the priorities and expectations). Students will need to know about precipitation, evaporation, and condensation, aquifers, reservoirs, tanks and wells, percentages of different types of water... You could spend a few days on each topic and just "teach" each concept, but then there is no structure to the random activities or topics and students may not be able to relate them together. You need something to organize your tasks and get the kids excited about the topic so that you can get started right away. You look back at the objective written on your lesson plans: "students will know the three steps of the water cycle and the importance of water in our society." Hmmm... you're not sure this is what you thought of when contemplating getting the kids excited. But water has been in the news lately from the droughts in Georgia, to hurricane season, to tsunamis, to acid rain, heavy snows during the Green Bay-Seattle playoff game... You think it's interesting and important... Bingo! "Why is the water cycle important?" You now have your essential question.

You then spend a couple of days having the students explore a variety of resources to generate some background knowledge and develop curiosity. They watch a brainPOP cartoon on the water cycle, look at the non-fiction books you checked out from the library, view an overview of the water cycle from an excerpt of a video downloaded from Safari Montage, play some of the water cycle activities from the student section of the library website... Students then come up with questions of their own about the water cycle. You spend a few days doing some activities to answer their questions like creating models of an aquifer in a plastic cup with some aquarium gravel, sand and modeling clay, and taking them outside to simulate with their bodies water molecules getting through rocks, sand, and clay, and making a terrarium with some plants and a 2-litre bottle to show the water process and its effects on the plants without having to water them, and a Reader's Theatre version of the book A River Runs Wild. You incorporate the vocabulary from the text book into each of the activities so that students are familiar with the terms. During Readers Workshop, you find some leveled readers that PTA purchased, you bring in other genres like the periodical, Kids Discover- the issue on water, you find the newspaper articles on the drought in Georgia showing the photos of Lake Lanier (their primary water source) before and after... In Writers Workshop students write on the water cycle based on the genre being taught at the time. If it is report writing, students can write on the three stages of the water cycle of the effects of water pollution. If it is procedural writing, students can write on how to give plants water without having to actually water them (remember that terrarium activity?) or steps to reduce water consumption and save water. If it is persuasive writing, students can write on whether we should share water from our aquifer with Georgia or the importance or not of the melting of the polar ice caps. If it is narrative writing, students can write a story about a day they were caught in the rain or a retelling of Frosty the Snowman when he melted and came back to life. Students then can pick an activity for a summative assessment to answer the essential question: "Why is the water cycle important?" Some students create a poster, a few loved the Reader's Theatre activity and worked as a group to write their own play, one created a rap and performed it for the class, one created a comic strip using Comic Life on the Mac, some wrote a traditional report, one did a podcast, while still others created a power point.

Lo and behold, the school visit team stops by your room (of course) and they notice a class full of engaged students actively involved in the learning process. They are impressed, your students are happy, and life is good. The students don't even mind taking the formative assessment because they actually know and remember all the content!

I have many professional development books on inquiry, questioning, and curriculum if you would like to learn more. Just stop by your school library!

Lunch and Learn!

The week of January 7-11, I will be hosting "Lunch and Learn" for all grade levels. Be on the lookout for an email as to what day your grade level will be meeting with Maggie and me. We will be covering developing Safari Montage playlists, science and social studies standards and ideas, and any needs you may have of me or the library. I will provide lunch, you provide whatever you would like to drink.

Technology Tuesdays are Coming!

Tuesday, January 8 will be the first of our weekly "Meet Your Mac" sessions. We will meet in the library after school at 3:15 and play- I mean learn- until they kick us out for ESOL training at 4:30. Since I'm not sure when we will get Office for Mac back on our laptops, I thought we should start out with a training on Pages from the iWork suite. The following Tuesdays will build on each other with programs from the iLife suite:
January 8: Pages
January 15: iPhoto
January 22: iTunes/Garageband
January 29: podcasts
February's schedule will be coming depending on your needs and wants. Come join in the fun!

BrainPOP is here!

Yea!! Our school-wide subscription for brainPOP has gone through. Please see me for the username and password for both school use and home use. The URL for bainPOP is http://www.brainpop.com

Study Island

Mrs. Walker and I receive weekly reports of the students taking Study Island quizzes and their results. It is fascinating how the percentages match the FCAT percentages in math, reading , and science that Mrs. Walker showed us from students' past FCAT records. By using Study Island regularly until the FCAT in March, hopefully these numbers will improve. I received two reports over the holidays, and many students utilized the program over the break. I am excited by the numbers of students using the program, however, only a handful of teachers have made class lists of their students. It is through the class lists that you can see reports of your students' progress. Through the reports, you can see what each individual student is struggling with or on what they are excelling. Remember, you can make any number of class lists. You can divide your class by levels, reading groups, or make just one class list. Please take a moment to create your class list so that you can take full advantage of this program. I have entered all students, k-5 into the database. Thanks!

Ban Those Bird Units!

One of my favorite professional development books is David Loertscher's Ban Those Bird Units: 15 Models for Teaching and Learning in Information-rich and Technology-rich Environments. This book is invaluable for methods of teaching research projects that don't foster plagiarism and the simplistic, low-level thinking from a textbook/lecture culture. In the past, and unfortunately too often in the present, students were assigned a project that follow this pattern:
1. The teacher gives background information to a topic in the classroom
2. Students read the assigned section in the textbook pertaining to the topic and perhaps answer the corresponding questions at the end of the chapter
3. The teacher gives a worksheet for information gathering on the topic and sends the class to the library or the computer lab to find the answers.
4. Students then copy the information found from information sources onto their worksheets
5. The students then turn in the worksheet for a grade or copy the information from the worksheet into a "report."

OK. What have the students gained in this situation? They have learned how to cut and paste information found on the Internet. Was the site on their reading level? Is the textbook even on their reading level? These type of research activities are only a test of whether students can find facts and copy them from one place to another. While an important facet of information literacy is the location and access of sources (finding the facts), students must then think about and analyze this information in order to increase learning and achievement. When assigning projects, teachers must think of how students can analyze the information and then synthesize the information (do something with the information, put all the pieces together in a new way). (summary of introduction from Ban Those Bird Units by David V. Loertscher)

Luckily, we are teaching in an exciting time of vast choices of resources: digital, multimedia, human, and print. We have all the tools at hand to make teaching and learning fun, engaging, and relevant. We are teaching in a time of encouraged collaboration so we don't need to go it alone. Brainstorm together to find creative projects students can take advantage of in this information-rich, technology-rich environment.

I challenge you as teachers in an information and technology-rich culture to make a New Year's resolution to have high expectations for your students and redesign your projects for your classes into inquiry-based projects so that students are engaged and optimizing their learning through creative and contemporary synthesis of information. Change the pattern mentioned above to the following:
1. Teachers give background information on a topic by immersing students in a variety of resources on the topic including leveled readers, videos, field trips, podcasts, etc. Students then develop some background knowledge and a curiosity in the topic.
2. Students come up with connections and questions on the topic
3. Teachers analyze students' questions and come up with essential questions to guide students' research (essential questions are ones that require the student to develop a plan or course of action or questions that require the student to make a decision).
4. Students brainstorm range of sources to get information, find and locate their sources, engage the source, analyze the information to find the important information for their task
5. Students synthesize information by creating a storyboard with Comic Life on their Mac Books, a podcast, a blog or wiki, a video edited by iMovie, a newspaper, journaling, readers' theatre, a keynote presentation, etc.

You get the idea. Students are not just learning how to copy and paste information, but learning critical thinking skills and retaining their knowledge gained because they are engaged and interested! I believe we have the finest teachers in the county. Let's ensure that our students get the benefit of our talents by leaving behind the textbook/lecture culture and embracing the information and technology-rich environment! Looking forward to collaborating with you on these endeavors...
-Lucia