Last week we started an argument writing piece in my fifth grade classroom. I posed the question: Should chocolate milk be served in schools? The words barely left my mouth before I heard kids asking if they were thinking of getting rid of chocolate milk in our school. I assured them this was not the case, but it was an argument we were going to look at.
I have been following NWP College, Career, and Community Writers Program for teaching argument writing. The plans are scaffolded incredibly well. I am thoroughly impressed with the material, and my students love it too. For this piece, I took the concept of the NWP plans and mixed it with Lucy Calkin's chocolate milk unit. I created organizers for my students to track their thinking and educate themselves with the conversation at the table.
For this particular piece there are ten people at the table and before the students are allowed to pull up a seat, they need to listen to what everyone has to say. We have watched video clips and read articles. We have been able to determine if the author of the article is for or against chocolate milk and we have highlighted facts that help support the author's argument. All four classes are at a slightly different spot in the process because each class has different conversations about what is being said. Once we have listened to everyone at the table, then the students can join the conversation and make their claim.
Right after I posed that original question, I had all the students take a sticky note and place it on whether they answered yes or no. Out of approximately 90 students, about 12 said no and the rest yes.
But today, I saw a shift happen in their thinking. We read an article that included very striking statistics about the amount of sugar in certain foods they love. This article led my students to question other things about sugar intake. Things they didn't realize. And then there were more questions. It was a pretty powerful conversation.
The hardest part for me, though, is helping the students look at things objectively and not persuading them to think one way or another. Every day at least three students ask me what I think about the issue.
I answer them the same way each time.
"I will let you know, after you write your argument."
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
The Snowball Effect
Yesterday I blogged about one of my writing students and the slice she wrote over the weekend. Her slice prompted me to write about my mentor teacher during my student teaching. Because of this, I reached out to him for the first time in 22 years. I posted my blog on facebook and he responded to my post with his own slice. I asked if I could share what he wrote. He graciously agreed.
Here is Mr. Petro's Slice from yesterday:
Longevity
As a teacher I entered the profession to make a difference in the world. I was young, naive, and green. I soon found out that my nights and weekends belonged to paperwork, my classrooms were full of challenges, and the profession never received the validation that other professions received. But, I promised myself that while in my classroom I would strive to make it a piece of heaven. I never, ever said I was going to "work".....I was always going to school. I taught for 37 years.....and, always in fifth grade, and started my first day in September always with the same statement. I told my students that what was in the books was important to learn.....but, they, as "in between agers" would learn more about who they were as a person growing into themselves. Sure, we did the paperwork, the assignments....and struggled through days. But, throughout I hoped to develop children.... emerging. I hoped to model patience, compassion, respect, inquiring minds, and acceptance of all. I confronted bullies and supported victims, denounced the word "gay" as a put down, taught sex education as a way to strengthen young people as they grew and matured. I advocated for the needy, provided lunches for those that came hungry. I attended funerals of parents.....and, sadly of some students. I willingly gave my life to my students......and have never, ever regretted one moment. I compare teaching to being pregnant. You labor for nine months and then deliver them.....
So, what? What matters?
Longevity.
Well after I have retired.....I find that connections made years ago.....find a way back into my life to touch and warm my heart. For example, a child stripped from his family, was thrust into child protective services, foster care, and my classroom. 25 years later he connects to tell me that I "saved his life". Two middle school guys disillusioned, and on the brink of self destruction, were entrusted to me during my lunch hour as their mentor. 30 years later, one a successful business man, the other strong in his church......connecting with me on Facebook and giving me the "thumbs up" for never giving up on them. Or, having coffee with a student from 30+ years ago.... a paratrooper having lost both legs during a tragic fall to earth.....telling me that he learned from me that life goes on.....and, we make the best of it. Or, the gay man (once a fifth grader), coming to me to thank me for understanding that acceptance was something needing to be taught. And, my stories never end......longevity.
And, then today, out of the blue.....another connection. And, such a sweet connection. And, why so sweet, you may ask? Because, Elana....you are on your way to longevity. You touch hearts every day. You make lives better. And, when you least expect it.........you'll find proof.
Here is Mr. Petro's Slice from yesterday:
Longevity
As a teacher I entered the profession to make a difference in the world. I was young, naive, and green. I soon found out that my nights and weekends belonged to paperwork, my classrooms were full of challenges, and the profession never received the validation that other professions received. But, I promised myself that while in my classroom I would strive to make it a piece of heaven. I never, ever said I was going to "work".....I was always going to school. I taught for 37 years.....and, always in fifth grade, and started my first day in September always with the same statement. I told my students that what was in the books was important to learn.....but, they, as "in between agers" would learn more about who they were as a person growing into themselves. Sure, we did the paperwork, the assignments....and struggled through days. But, throughout I hoped to develop children.... emerging. I hoped to model patience, compassion, respect, inquiring minds, and acceptance of all. I confronted bullies and supported victims, denounced the word "gay" as a put down, taught sex education as a way to strengthen young people as they grew and matured. I advocated for the needy, provided lunches for those that came hungry. I attended funerals of parents.....and, sadly of some students. I willingly gave my life to my students......and have never, ever regretted one moment. I compare teaching to being pregnant. You labor for nine months and then deliver them.....
So, what? What matters?
Longevity.
Well after I have retired.....I find that connections made years ago.....find a way back into my life to touch and warm my heart. For example, a child stripped from his family, was thrust into child protective services, foster care, and my classroom. 25 years later he connects to tell me that I "saved his life". Two middle school guys disillusioned, and on the brink of self destruction, were entrusted to me during my lunch hour as their mentor. 30 years later, one a successful business man, the other strong in his church......connecting with me on Facebook and giving me the "thumbs up" for never giving up on them. Or, having coffee with a student from 30+ years ago.... a paratrooper having lost both legs during a tragic fall to earth.....telling me that he learned from me that life goes on.....and, we make the best of it. Or, the gay man (once a fifth grader), coming to me to thank me for understanding that acceptance was something needing to be taught. And, my stories never end......longevity.
And, then today, out of the blue.....another connection. And, such a sweet connection. And, why so sweet, you may ask? Because, Elana....you are on your way to longevity. You touch hearts every day. You make lives better. And, when you least expect it.........you'll find proof.
Monday, March 12, 2018
It's a Small World
On Monday I check in with all of my slicers who are participating in this month's challenge. I have a chart where we keep track of each slice written. Some of the students just show me their slice with no mention about what it is they did over the weekend, while many are excited to share. One girl in my first class of the afternoon wrote about shopping for an Easter dress with her sister and mother and having dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Petro's house in Albion.
I stopped right in my tracks and asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Petro who used to teach in Albion?"
She said, "Yes. My mom used to have Mrs. Petro for a first grade teacher. We see them a lot."
I couldn't believe it! Mr. Petro was the teacher I student taught for in the mid-nineties. And here was a writing student of mine who has dinner at his house.
I am always amazed by these chance encounters. Where the world seems much smaller than it is. All afternoon I thought about Mr. Petro. I was fortunate to be able to student teach for an outstanding teacher.
He was a calm man who had control of his classroom. In 1996, when I student taught in his fifth grade classroom, he had 21 boys and six girls. Yes, you read that correctly. And it wasn't a big space. But those kids were big. And some days I wondered if we were all going to fit. Especially on the hot and humid ones.
Students did not have assigned seats in his classroom, but instead they came in each day and found a spot to sit. The students didn't rush or push and shove. This was because he took the time to train them how to select a seat and eventually it became second nature.
Mr. Petro was a social studies and history teacher of the year. I think his love of bringing history alive through projects is where I found my voice in teaching. For many years I taught social studies, and I modeled a lot of what I did, off of how he taught.
I loved student teaching for Mr. Petro. He was honest and always straight forward with me. When I messed up or couldn't keep control of the class, he would always sit down with me after school and offer suggestions making sure to explain the why behind his what.
I hadn't thought of Mr. Petro in a really long time. And I am so thankful that my one student chose to write one of her weekend slices about him.
I like to reflect where I started out teaching. It makes me thankful that I had a great mentor teacher and happy to know that I have grown so much as an educator since then.
I stopped right in my tracks and asked, "Mr. and Mrs. Petro who used to teach in Albion?"
She said, "Yes. My mom used to have Mrs. Petro for a first grade teacher. We see them a lot."
I couldn't believe it! Mr. Petro was the teacher I student taught for in the mid-nineties. And here was a writing student of mine who has dinner at his house.
I am always amazed by these chance encounters. Where the world seems much smaller than it is. All afternoon I thought about Mr. Petro. I was fortunate to be able to student teach for an outstanding teacher.
He was a calm man who had control of his classroom. In 1996, when I student taught in his fifth grade classroom, he had 21 boys and six girls. Yes, you read that correctly. And it wasn't a big space. But those kids were big. And some days I wondered if we were all going to fit. Especially on the hot and humid ones.
Students did not have assigned seats in his classroom, but instead they came in each day and found a spot to sit. The students didn't rush or push and shove. This was because he took the time to train them how to select a seat and eventually it became second nature.
Mr. Petro was a social studies and history teacher of the year. I think his love of bringing history alive through projects is where I found my voice in teaching. For many years I taught social studies, and I modeled a lot of what I did, off of how he taught.
I loved student teaching for Mr. Petro. He was honest and always straight forward with me. When I messed up or couldn't keep control of the class, he would always sit down with me after school and offer suggestions making sure to explain the why behind his what.
I hadn't thought of Mr. Petro in a really long time. And I am so thankful that my one student chose to write one of her weekend slices about him.
I like to reflect where I started out teaching. It makes me thankful that I had a great mentor teacher and happy to know that I have grown so much as an educator since then.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
A Hidden Gem
A few weeks back my students finished writing their first literary essay using the book Bird Lake Moon. I posed the question: Do you think there is such a thing as the perfect family? Using evidence from the book and having to connect this to their own lives, my students had to answer the question.
Our first struggle came with the introduction. They all wrote a very strong hook and a solid thesis statement, but they struggled with bridging the two. Clearly, I did not scaffold this well. The same day that I was reading over their introductions, I saw a post on twowritingteachers.org about student written mentor texts. I often use examples of student work to model various writing techniques, but this one in particular began with using literary essays in the elementary classroom. After reading the post, I reached out to the author and asked if she had some examples she could share with me because I wanted to share them with my students. She graciously sent me a few. And they were just what I needed to help my students understand how to bridge between the hook and the thesis statement.
The next day, I shared a few of the literary essays with my students, and we focused on the introductions. It didn't matter that my students were looking at third grade examples, and if anything, it was almost better. They were written in such a simple way that my students got it. They understood how to write that bridge that we struggled with a few days before. They rewrote their introductions and did a remarkable job on them.
Flash forward to this afternoon. As my own kids were swimming, I was on the sidelines correcting literary essays. I was impressed with how strong their introductions were, the organization, and how they connected it to their own lives. Each body paragraph focused on a different aspect of their thesis statements and the students used evidence from the book to support their thinking. The one thing that I noticed, however, was the weakness in how they explained their evidence. Most tried hard and made an attempt, but they just weren't what I expected to see.
But I kept reading and correcting, and then, I found it! A hidden gem of a paper mixed in with all the rest. This student got it. Not only did she focus each body paragraph on one aspect of her thesis, she explained herself, connected her thinking to evidence, and justified why the evidence supported her claim. It was written beautifully.
As much as I could spend time rewriting a lesson plan on how to explain your evidence, I am going to ask her if I can use her essay and expertise to help her classmates. Because no matter how many different ways I can come up with how to teach this, sometimes having a student explain their thinking and the process they went through is more valuable than anything I can do.
Our first struggle came with the introduction. They all wrote a very strong hook and a solid thesis statement, but they struggled with bridging the two. Clearly, I did not scaffold this well. The same day that I was reading over their introductions, I saw a post on twowritingteachers.org about student written mentor texts. I often use examples of student work to model various writing techniques, but this one in particular began with using literary essays in the elementary classroom. After reading the post, I reached out to the author and asked if she had some examples she could share with me because I wanted to share them with my students. She graciously sent me a few. And they were just what I needed to help my students understand how to bridge between the hook and the thesis statement.
The next day, I shared a few of the literary essays with my students, and we focused on the introductions. It didn't matter that my students were looking at third grade examples, and if anything, it was almost better. They were written in such a simple way that my students got it. They understood how to write that bridge that we struggled with a few days before. They rewrote their introductions and did a remarkable job on them.
Flash forward to this afternoon. As my own kids were swimming, I was on the sidelines correcting literary essays. I was impressed with how strong their introductions were, the organization, and how they connected it to their own lives. Each body paragraph focused on a different aspect of their thesis statements and the students used evidence from the book to support their thinking. The one thing that I noticed, however, was the weakness in how they explained their evidence. Most tried hard and made an attempt, but they just weren't what I expected to see.
But I kept reading and correcting, and then, I found it! A hidden gem of a paper mixed in with all the rest. This student got it. Not only did she focus each body paragraph on one aspect of her thesis, she explained herself, connected her thinking to evidence, and justified why the evidence supported her claim. It was written beautifully.
As much as I could spend time rewriting a lesson plan on how to explain your evidence, I am going to ask her if I can use her essay and expertise to help her classmates. Because no matter how many different ways I can come up with how to teach this, sometimes having a student explain their thinking and the process they went through is more valuable than anything I can do.
 |
| A Hidden Gem in the Mix |
Saturday, March 10, 2018
And There Were Three of Us
When I was younger, my parents exposed me to an array of activities. Anything my sisters and I wanted to try. I took tap and ballet. I dabbled in art classes. I played soccer, softball, volleyball, and lacrosse. I learned how to play the violin, piano, trombone, and clarinet. I went to summer camp. If I wanted to try something out, my parents would find a way to make that happen.
And there were three of us.
As a mother of three myself, I don't know how they did it. Between my husband and I, we shuttle our kids to soccer, basketball, lacrosse, cross country, gymnastics, baseball, and Girls on the Run. And that is just during the school year. But, I am not sure I would change anything about this. Yes, it gets hectic. We barely have enough time to eat dinner some days. If anything, though, it has taught my children how to budget their time and helped them to be more well rounded.
I am a firm believer that children should be exposed to as many activities as possible when they are younger. I know there are some children who specialize in one sport, and it is all consuming. I won't ever do that to my children. I would be afraid they may get burnt out or regret not being able to have played or participated in other things.
But this is just me.
And this is how I was raised. I am pretty sure my mother would be proud.
And there were three of us.
As a mother of three myself, I don't know how they did it. Between my husband and I, we shuttle our kids to soccer, basketball, lacrosse, cross country, gymnastics, baseball, and Girls on the Run. And that is just during the school year. But, I am not sure I would change anything about this. Yes, it gets hectic. We barely have enough time to eat dinner some days. If anything, though, it has taught my children how to budget their time and helped them to be more well rounded.
I am a firm believer that children should be exposed to as many activities as possible when they are younger. I know there are some children who specialize in one sport, and it is all consuming. I won't ever do that to my children. I would be afraid they may get burnt out or regret not being able to have played or participated in other things.
But this is just me.
And this is how I was raised. I am pretty sure my mother would be proud.
 |
| My youngest, currently taking gymnastic classes. |
Friday, March 9, 2018
A Reflection
Today as my students participated in Greenbelt Writing, I watched them.
I watched individuals work independently and collaboratively.
I watched stories being crafted, books being made, and projects being started.
I watched my reluctant writers happily work on a piece that had no directions.
I watched two girls that don't tend to work together, create a comic.
I even watched as apostrophes were used correctly.
And as I watched, I started to reflect on my year as a writing teacher. This is the first year that I have taught writing to all four sections of 5th grade. And it has been an honor.
There are a few things that I would keep if I am able to do this again.
1. My Read Aloud-I found that doing a read aloud as the students enter the room has made it easier to transition into our time together. There are minimal disruptions, and it helps calm the students.
2. Writing Folders-I have crates for each classroom where students keep their writing folders. The writing folders hold everything they need for my class. That way I don't have to wait on students who need to go to their locker or homeroom to get their belongings.
3. Patterns of Power-My students love this take on grammar by Jeff Anderson and Whitney La Rocca. It is the first time they understand why grammar plays an important role in their writing.
4. Sacred Writing Time- In the beginning of the year, this is a key component in helping students to build writing stamina. The students love to have time to just write, and I secretly have a hidden agenda. It is a win-win situation. As the year goes on, our Sacred Writing Time is not as frequent but still loved by all.
5. Writing Marathons-These are one of my favorite things to do. Each month we set one class period to just write. We have done writing sentence starters by visiting different classrooms and taking notice of what is happening around us, Harris Burdick stories, figurative language posters, and Halloween writing to name a few.
6. Greenbelt Writing- This is probably my students' favorite. Each Friday students just write and create. We have a Greenbelt bulletin board where students share what they have done. Their creativity is endless.
The funny thing about all of this is years ago I told myself I would never be a writing teacher. Too much grading. Too many papers. Grading writing is A LOT of work. Especially when you have 90 students. But I love it. As long as they don't mind that it takes me forever to get to it all, I don't mind doing it.
I watched individuals work independently and collaboratively.
I watched stories being crafted, books being made, and projects being started.
I watched my reluctant writers happily work on a piece that had no directions.
I watched two girls that don't tend to work together, create a comic.
I even watched as apostrophes were used correctly.
And as I watched, I started to reflect on my year as a writing teacher. This is the first year that I have taught writing to all four sections of 5th grade. And it has been an honor.
There are a few things that I would keep if I am able to do this again.
1. My Read Aloud-I found that doing a read aloud as the students enter the room has made it easier to transition into our time together. There are minimal disruptions, and it helps calm the students.
2. Writing Folders-I have crates for each classroom where students keep their writing folders. The writing folders hold everything they need for my class. That way I don't have to wait on students who need to go to their locker or homeroom to get their belongings.
3. Patterns of Power-My students love this take on grammar by Jeff Anderson and Whitney La Rocca. It is the first time they understand why grammar plays an important role in their writing.
4. Sacred Writing Time- In the beginning of the year, this is a key component in helping students to build writing stamina. The students love to have time to just write, and I secretly have a hidden agenda. It is a win-win situation. As the year goes on, our Sacred Writing Time is not as frequent but still loved by all.
5. Writing Marathons-These are one of my favorite things to do. Each month we set one class period to just write. We have done writing sentence starters by visiting different classrooms and taking notice of what is happening around us, Harris Burdick stories, figurative language posters, and Halloween writing to name a few.
6. Greenbelt Writing- This is probably my students' favorite. Each Friday students just write and create. We have a Greenbelt bulletin board where students share what they have done. Their creativity is endless.
The funny thing about all of this is years ago I told myself I would never be a writing teacher. Too much grading. Too many papers. Grading writing is A LOT of work. Especially when you have 90 students. But I love it. As long as they don't mind that it takes me forever to get to it all, I don't mind doing it.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Twelve
I have been thinking about drafting this post all day today and each time in my head it changes. I haven't quite found the way that I want to start it or say what I want to say. There are so many different avenues I can take with this one.
Today my son turned 12. We both took the day off of school and spent time together. Over the past year I have realized that these moments are dwindling, and I am going to soak them up as long as I can. Because in the grand scheme of things, he is not going to remember what he did in school on his 12th birthday, but he is going to remember that we both didn't go and he had Mom's attention all day.
So in his honor, here is a list of 12 things about my son.
1. He is honest. One of the most honest people I know. Maybe because he is the oldest. A few weeks ago he was allowed to use a calculator on his math homework and refused to because he felt like that was cheating.
2. He is quiet. He always has been. When he was born, he only cried for a split second. Then he spent the next few hours staring at everything and everyone around him.
3. He is calm. Rarely have I ever heard him raise his voice, even when his sisters are bothering him.
4. He sticks up for others. One of my proudest Mom moments is when he was in 4th grade. His teacher told me at conferences that he sticks up for other kids in class that are getting picked on. He often will tell others to knock it off because that just isn't nice.
5. He is athletic. Nothing brings me more joy than watching him run a race or play a soccer game. He is fast and a quick thinker.
6. He is practical. He specifically asked that I not buy decorations or balloons for the dining room this year as he thought it was a waste of money. Decorating the dining room on one's birthday has been a tradition in our family since my kids were little. So I took that money that I saved and bought a ton of candy and scattered it on the table.
7. He is not a picky eater. He will eat anything except raspberries and carrots. He always makes wise choices and fills his body with nutritious foods (unless it is his birthday and he eats candy all day)!
8. He loves to hike. This past summer when we were in Marquette, he couldn't get enough of the trails. He takes after his mom and dad on this one.
9. He likes board games. One of the few things he asked for, for his birthday was a board game. Despite all the technology in his life, he enjoys a good game of Mastermind.
10. He is really good at chess. I am not sure who it was who taught him how to play, but he is exceptional at it. He can read the board and will always be two steps ahead of his opponent.
11. He likes things in order. He will not read a book series unless he starts with book number one. Even if the series allows you to read books out of order without affecting the story.
12. He is just a great kid. I am not sure how I got so lucky. I can't wait to see where life is going to take him.
Today my son turned 12. We both took the day off of school and spent time together. Over the past year I have realized that these moments are dwindling, and I am going to soak them up as long as I can. Because in the grand scheme of things, he is not going to remember what he did in school on his 12th birthday, but he is going to remember that we both didn't go and he had Mom's attention all day.
So in his honor, here is a list of 12 things about my son.
1. He is honest. One of the most honest people I know. Maybe because he is the oldest. A few weeks ago he was allowed to use a calculator on his math homework and refused to because he felt like that was cheating.
2. He is quiet. He always has been. When he was born, he only cried for a split second. Then he spent the next few hours staring at everything and everyone around him.
3. He is calm. Rarely have I ever heard him raise his voice, even when his sisters are bothering him.
4. He sticks up for others. One of my proudest Mom moments is when he was in 4th grade. His teacher told me at conferences that he sticks up for other kids in class that are getting picked on. He often will tell others to knock it off because that just isn't nice.
5. He is athletic. Nothing brings me more joy than watching him run a race or play a soccer game. He is fast and a quick thinker.
6. He is practical. He specifically asked that I not buy decorations or balloons for the dining room this year as he thought it was a waste of money. Decorating the dining room on one's birthday has been a tradition in our family since my kids were little. So I took that money that I saved and bought a ton of candy and scattered it on the table.
7. He is not a picky eater. He will eat anything except raspberries and carrots. He always makes wise choices and fills his body with nutritious foods (unless it is his birthday and he eats candy all day)!
8. He loves to hike. This past summer when we were in Marquette, he couldn't get enough of the trails. He takes after his mom and dad on this one.
9. He likes board games. One of the few things he asked for, for his birthday was a board game. Despite all the technology in his life, he enjoys a good game of Mastermind.
10. He is really good at chess. I am not sure who it was who taught him how to play, but he is exceptional at it. He can read the board and will always be two steps ahead of his opponent.
11. He likes things in order. He will not read a book series unless he starts with book number one. Even if the series allows you to read books out of order without affecting the story.
12. He is just a great kid. I am not sure how I got so lucky. I can't wait to see where life is going to take him.
Happy 12th birthday to my only son.
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