When life is crazy, you are still a teacher...

I haven't posted in over two weeks because the life of a teacher is hectic and crazy. There are meetings to attend, paperwork to complete, papers to grade, dinners to cook, games to attend, and on top of all that, housework still exists. There should be vitamins specifically martketed for teachers. They would need to be the strongest vitamins available. Having said all that, I love my job. Teaching is the most gratifying job on the planet. Where else do you get paid to talk about what you love every day to a captive audience? The captive audience is the tricky part. The students must be there but they do not have to be engaged... that's my job.
I reverted to a notes teacher in the last posted lesson. I was angry with myself for failing my students. The purpose of this blog is to find the best lessons for US History and a boring, here are your notes, just copy and be quiet lesson is certainly not a good lesson much less a great lesson. The next class I changed tactics. I was angry that I taken the easy way out and that's not who I want to be, so I sat down and let the laundry go unfolded. I planned. I needed the students to understand the differences between the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. I could do that without boring the students to sleep. I decided to split the material into three parts. First, the class as a whole created a graphic organizer (thinking map - call them what you will) comparing the two political parties based upon what was in their textbooks and previous notes. When we had established a thorough list, the students were given a piece of legal sized computer paper and told to fold it in half hotdog style and cut it on the line. The students were then to create a bumper sticker for each political party. For example, a bumber sticker for Hamilton and the Federalist could say "Hamilton: You can bank on it" to signify his desire to create a National Bank. The students were engaged and thinking. Isn't that the goal? Plus, when they were finished I had great wall art because the students are so creative. I had several do a take on Jefferson - Power to the People showing his belief that the power should lie in the states, not the federal government. The students focused on all the areas that they needed to concentrate on and without a doubt will remember because they created something, laughed while doing it, and had some displayed. We weren't finished though. Next, I divided the students into groups by numbers so that the groups were not cliques. Each group was asked to create a campaign commercial for either the Federalists or Democratic Republicans. Because the students only had 30 seconds to get their message across, they had to think of a catchy way to sell the party. The students then performed their commercials while I filmed them with a Flip video camera. Teenagers are so creative! The commercials were hilarious and again, right on point. One group focused on the Whiskey Tax; another on whether or not just the wealthy and educated should be in charge. Each group involved all members and I was surpirsed to see one of the lower-level disengaged student participate in the Hoe-down as part of teh Whiskey Tax commercial. The boring note day and the fun creative day covered the same material, but this is the binder lesson. My students learned and will retain the information. I'm going to fold some laundry now and then, get back to planning so I can have the binder of perfect US History lessons.

Some days it just doesn't happen...

Today I was the very teacher that I do not want to be - the unprepared one. It's been a hectic week and I knew that I had planned far enough ahead. Last night, I thought I'm not sure what I am doing tomorrow and went to bed. This morning, my first class had a test so I used that time to try to plan and it still did not happen. I downloaded a powerpoint. Ugh! Was I really just going to do notes? I had planning next. I read over my material and tried to come up with activities to make the material relevant and memorable. I decided on a graphic organizer - they are the new rage at my school. Class began and the activity fell flat. I reviewed material, I walked around the room helping students, and I resorted to notes. I hate that I settled, that I ohoned it in, that I shortchanged my students.
Tomorrow, I have a chance to redo the lesson with another set of students. My own version of the redo I offer my students. What am I planning? I'll let you know soon. Teaching really is harder than you think and if you are unprepared, it shows....

If you have it, they will come and you might just learn something...

Today, I held my first afterschool tutoring session for a large number of students this year. Every student who scored less than a 90 on the unit test last week can retake the test IF they attend a tutoring session afterschool. Twelve students came today. Like all teachers, I have hours that I am available for extra help. I am in my room daily from 3:30 - 4:30 and students who have flubbed a quiz or do not understand the rubric for a project will stop by for a quick question. However, all to often, the students who stop by already excel at academics while the students who really need the extra help never come. Today was a pleasant surprise. The students filed in, took out their notes, and readily reviewed the material. They will start retaking the tests tomorrow.
I feel pretty confident that the grades will be much higher. Why? Well, to start with, the students chose to come today. As in every other aspect of life, people who willing participate in an activity get more out of it. Now, I know that a mother or two might have twisted some arms, but for the most part the students came because they wanted to improve their grade. Half the battle has already been won. The students want to learn the material. The second reason I think the grades will show improvement is that the students have already been assessed on the material once and have came to learn why their conclusions, their answers, were wrong. This quest for understanding is the cornerstone of discovery learning and while the students should have already learned the material, better late than never!! The final reason that I feel their grades will show improvement is that the students shared their strategies for remembering details with each other. Peer tutoring cannot be beat. Who better to explain a concept to a teenager than another teenager? Listen closely to the explanations and you might just learn something; I did!
On the test, the students were required to place each of the 13 colonies in their respective colonial region. To help the students learn this, I had taught them a body map where the 5 Southern colonies were located on the bottom half of the body, the 4 Middle colonies on the middle portion, and the New England colonies were on the head. Several students had marked Maryland as a Middle colony. I struggle with Maryland as a Southern colony as well, but since Chesapeake region is not a choice, the students learn it as a Southern colony. The sign for the body map is the cross made by Catholics as I also want them to make the connection between Maryland being a proprietary colony founded as a refuge for Catholics. When the students make the cross they say "Maryland is founded for the Catholics". Before I could launch into my lengthy teacher explanation of why Maryland is a Southern colony, Amber, a rather no nonsense student, spoke up and explained that at the end of each region in the body map there is a longer phrase and that's how students can remember when each region ends. I thought about it. I had never noticed it but she is exactly right. There is the line about Maryland being founded for the Catholics, the Middle colonies end with Pennsylvania being founded by the Quakers, and for New England's final colony, we say New Happenings in New Hampshire. Students are so bright. I will add that disclaimer for every future class who does the body map. Thanks Amber! It's already been added to the binder.

And the results are in....

My students had their first unit test. Did the perfect lessons achieve a perfect passage rate? Ummm.... NO. Not even close. Student scores varied, but then the students themselves are extremely varied in my classes. Is this an excuse for failure? Not really. The students are different and the fact that they did not succeed is an opportunity to explore my lessons on a deeper level to see what can be tweaked to help my students achieve better results.

What worked? Overwhelmingly, the students were able to match the colonies to the colonial region in which they belonged, with the exception of Maryland. What does this tell me? The body map works! It also tells me that I need a different take on Maryland being founded by the Catholics because the students are linking making the sign of the cross on their torso to a Middle colony rather than linking prayer on their knees to a Southern colony. The students were also able to answer a majority of the multiple choice questions about the colonial regions that were written at higher levels of thinking. Again, this means that the map worked.

School House Rocks also worked. I showed two of the 70's based educational videos - No More Kings and Shot Heard Round the World. These 3 minute shorts are packed with information and the songs become embedded in your head. I allowed the students to watch each video once straight through and then, re-ran each stopping several times to chck student understanding of what the video is depicting. The students seem to understand; however, they missed multiple choice questions frequently on this material which indicates they did not grasp the material on the level I had hoped. What would help this? I need to add written material or have the students take notes on the material. Since the videos are cartoons with songs attached, I believe the students may have not attached as great an importance to them as they should have. I can fix this.

The two short answer questions that asked the students to explain primary source depictions of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party hailed mix results. Yes, the students knew what events were depicted which is wonderful! However, the students did not seem to be able to explain the importance of the documents. To be successful on the end-of-course exam, the studets need to know the significance of everything; there are no simple identify items. I need to make sure the students go deeper. How do I do this? I need to remove myself from the picture. When we discussed the images in class, I held center court. I circled portions of the images and asked questions. Did they understand what I was saying? Yes! They knew what it was and were able to detail the individual arts of it. However, the students could not make the jump as to why the pieces were important. If I required the students to break down the components and explain the significance on their own, I believe their levels of understanding would have been much greater.

Overwhelmingly, the students failed the discussion question. No one earned all the points. The discussion question asked the students to summarize the impact of English government on the formation of representative government in the colonies. I know the students knew the information required to answer this question. We had reviewed and reviewed the material. When the students encountered the question, they either forgot the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Limited government,2 Houses of parliment, and common law or they forgot to link the English government and colonial governments. Why? Again, I think they truly knew the information but when asked to go deeper with the analysis of the information, the students faltered which is an indication that I need to check more frequently to check all levels of understanding.

Because I am focused on mastery learning, the students will have a 2nd chance to achieve success. All students who attend a mandatory tutoring session will be allowed to re-take the test. Why the tutoring session? I want to ensure that the students have achieved the level of understanding required for success, not just a greater familiarity with the answers. The students will have to retake the entire test, not just correct the questions they missed. This will require that they review all the material to achieve success. It will require the students to show mastery of all the material. After the retest, when the results are in.... I hope they all pass.

Lather, rinse, and repeat.

Most shampoo bottles come with basic directions for usage. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Rather simple; surely no one really needs to be told to rinse the lather out of their hair once it has been creatd, and the repeat... well, is that just a strategy manufacturers utilize to increase their sales? Nah. Some hair needs a second dousing, and since the directions are ciruclar and never-ending in nature, it is up to the shampooee to use their discretion as to the number of times to repeat for best results. In education, repetition is needed for optimum results as well. Those simplistic on the back of the shampoo bottle are the basic formula for success in education.
What do I mean? Well, students file into the classroom and take their respective seats and wait. It's an apt analogy to compare these students to the hairs just laying on your head waiting to be transformed into a classic hairstyle, i.e. Farrah, Rachel from Friends, Dorothy Hamel, Tom Cruise. Even Mr Clean doesn't just shine without help. The students are waiting. You must add something to your class to bring them to a lather, to make them use their basic goodness to learn. Teachers do this in a number of ways, and I am trying to do this in each and every lesson that goes into my binder that will house the perfect lesson plans for US History. Lather brings results.
The next step on the shampoo bottle is rinse. Again, this is an important step in education. Students need lather to learn, but we must take ourselves totally out of the equation to guage their knowledge level. If I stand in front of them and constantly lecture, they may receive information or they may be daydreaming. Activities require work but are often done in groups where individual knowledge is hard to gauge. The best way to see what they have learned is assessment. Step back, allow the students to work, and judge their levels. Rinsing allows you to see where you stand.
Now, comes the tricky part. Do you need to repeat the process? Why is that tricky? Well, for some students one lather and rinse cycle might be sufficient; others may need another cycle or two. If our focus is truly on whether or not the students understand the material, then we cannot hold ourselves to this idea that once must be enough. Yes, time constraints exist; in SC, US History students must take a standardized end-of-course exam that counts 20% of their grade which limits the amount of time a teacher may devote to any one subject area. However, just as you would not stop the shampoo cycle if your hair was not yet clean, you cannot stop the education cycle unless your students comprehend the material. If education requires mastery, then you must repeat until mastery is achieved. How do you balance time and repetition? A number of ways - daily, after each assessment, with after school tutoring, and through homework.
My third binder lesson had repetition throughout and I am totally pleased with it. The opening activity was a blank US map displayed on the interactive white board. Surrounding the map are several significant terms from the prior lesson. Students come up one at a time and move a term to the region on the map to which it corresponds. For example, there are 5 colonial regions - New France, New Spain, New England, Middle Colonies, and Southern colonies. This allows 5 students the opportunity to attach movement to their learning and we all know kinesthetic learning is key to learn term memory. After each studetn places a term, I ask questions to the entire group about the term and build upon their prior knowledge. This discussion is helpful to the lower level students in the class because it helps them connect something they know to a term on the board and they can then participate without having to worry if they are right or wrong. It is not unusual to have several hands go up after each discussion. Most students can make conecctions during the discussion. When the opening activity is over, the class reviewed the body map of the 13 original English colonies. Again, I took this basic understanding and as we went through each region, I reviewed key pieces of information and asked the students to build upon it. This was the opening lather. I then removed myself from the process and gave a short quiz. As we went over the answers after completion, I could guage whether the students had a firm grasp on the information. Did I need to repeat? On some points, I did and we simply as a class reviewed it more. For the most part though, the students had it done.
The second part of the material was new material on the foundation of our representative government. I wanted the students to understand that the colonists were Englishmen, not Americans immediately. To make this point, I posed a scenario where they were given a private island far away from the United States on which to create their own colony.What would be their basis for rules? Who was in charge? What relationship would they have with the US? After they had answered these questions and pair-shared with the person beside them, the class discussed. Many ideas emerged but most of their ideas supported a US-based doctrine with a few exceptions. We then looked at the basic ideals of English government - the Magna Carta, Limited Government, 2 House Parliment, English Bill of Rights, and Common Law. We were lathering again and it was time to rinse. Using the information they had just copied down, the students were asked to participate in another matching activity on the interactive white board. The students had to come to the board and draw a line from one of the 5 priniples to a short phrase surmising the importance of the principle. For example, 2 houses of Parliment paired with gave people a voice in government. When each match was made, we discussed the information that led to the choice. This is a short activity which lended itself to repetition, so after all 5 matches I cleared the board and began again. Why repeat? The students paused before picking their pairings which meant they were not completely sure. The second time through, a few students still paused. Again, they were not completely sure of the information. Repeat as needed. The third time, the students knew the material. It was a basic activity. I could have moved on because technically, the students were successful; they had matched the terms. However, assessing whether or not mastery has occurred doesn't require a quiz or test. I knew they had not mastered the material yet and that was my goal. I continued until they had achieved mastery and it felt wonderful.
Who knew that the instructions to great lessons were there all along staring at us from the back of the shampoo bottle..... Lather, Rinse, and Repeat.

Everyone has to start somewhere...

My binder has begun!! I have my first official entry and I am happy, although I really wanted to type that I was thrilled or excited or some other adjective that would signify that this was a momentous achievement. I did not feel any of these emotions though. I do feel that having the first lesson plan finished and sitting securely in my binder was an achievement. I wanted fireworks and fanfare instead I completed a lesson plan that needs to be tweaked. Perfection takes time...
So, what was the first entry? Actually it was a duo of lessons. In my first class, I pulled out the bells and whistles lesson that utilized MP3 players, children books, and primary source documents to have it fail. Failures lead to sucess. Thomas Edison said that every success was the result of failing and improving and Edison is the epitome of success. For the first day of my second class, I did not begin with the same lesson as the original students lacked the necessary background knowledge to jump right into discussing the colonization period; instead I began with a basic lesson on the motivations for colonization for France, Spain, and England. Once the students had activated the prior knowledge of what they already knew concerning Columbus, the Puritans, and the couers de bois, the original lesson with all the bells and whistles worked smoothly. Yay!
Lesson one - done. Introductions, rules and procedures, motivations for colonization, and Body map of 13 original colonies. I added the body map to add movement. I truly believe movement is vital to learning. The students learn the colonies and which region they belong to by tying the name of each colony to a specific place on their body. There are 5 Southern colonies - Georgia (stomp the ground for G), South Carolina (touch your sock for S), North Carolina (Touch Knee because it sounds like ti starts with N), Virginia (bend deeply and say the ladies and gentlemen in Virgina bow), and finally Maryland (kneel for prayer and say Maryland was founded by the Catholics). There are 4 Middle colonies - Delaware and New Jersey are linked on the upper body ( Della wears a New Jersey), New York (hand motion doing an N and Y), and Pennsylvania ( hand holding pen shaking as you say Pennsylvania was founded by the Quakers). There are four New England colonies - Connecticut (your nose as it connects the 2 halves of your face), Rhode Island (circles eye), Massachusetts (Mass of brains in your head), and finally New Hampshire (hand held above head celebrating). Corny, but it works.
Lesson two - check. Station work with student moving to four stations for 10 minutes/each. The students will listen to the Hiphop song "Who Discovered It?" from Hiphop US History on MP3 players at one station, read a pair of children's books at one station, read a primary source document based on Hernan Cortes encounters with Montezuma at another station, and finally read a primary source document relating the conditions of an indentured servant contract. From their own interactions with these materials, the students will come away with a deeper understanding of the material than if they had sat there and blandly copied notes.
My binder has two lessons. Are they perfect? No. There are thing that need to be expanded, made clearer. I added those notes as well. The first lessons are good solid lessons though and everyone has to start somewhere....

Timing is everything in everything.....

Wine and cheese have to age. There are peaches that exist in this world that must be eaten only during a few short weeks (if Seinfeld's Kramer is to be believed). Comedians are only funny if their timing is spot on. Timing matters. What does any of this have to do with my quest to create the perfect binder of lesson plans??? Everything. I have created a strong second day of class lesson. The problem is that I was trying for a strong first day of class lesson, but as with everything in life, timing is everything. Will it go in the binder that is to be the end result of this blog? Yes, I think it will. Will it be the beginning activity? No....
The first day of school is different than all other days. You must introduce yourself and your procedures. The students must learn how the world works within the four walls of your classroom. This takes time. Teachers must guage the students - are they boisterous? timid? hardworking? overly concerned with details? Then, and only then, can teachers move forward into the activities that are housed in the coveted binders. When I had completed these housekeeping measures today, I began the station activities that were the opening activity of the planned lesson. I had time to finish just that portion of the lesson. There was no follow up discussion, no body map, no wrap up.... My timing was off and my lesson fell short. I will, of course, need to do the rest of the lesson but that is almost like serving dessert the day after. What's the point? Is it the finishing touch to a well crafted meal? Nah, it's just dessert... It might be sweet, but that's all it is.
However, I am creating a binder - a binder than houses the perfect lessons for US History- and I will not be deterred by timing issues. I can fix this, really I can and I can do it this year! My school teaches on a A/B block schedule, that means I have my classes every other day. Tomorrow, I have an entirely different set of students and tomorrow, when I again have a first day opportunity, my timing will be better. I am NOT going to do the lesson I did today at all; instead, I will do introductions, procedures, and some background history of why the three major countries colonized in the first place. It's a little less ambitious. It's not as cool. It is, however, better timed.... and timing is everything.

Decisions, decisions, decisions! They might just be the key...

School starts back Tuesday. I would love to say that this means that I have two days left to lounge unconcerned on the sofa and read magazine articles and books of no literary consequence; to be truthful though,I must say that it means that I am running out of time to plan for a successful year. Teaching requires planning - lots and lots of planning. There are decisions to be made and I must make the correct ones or this binder that I will compile this year will be as useless as having no binder.

Decision 1 - Homework - Do I assign it and if I do, what value does it have?
I hate assigning homework for a multitude of reasons. Let's be real here, students have lives outside of the classroom. They are involved in sports, extracurriculars, and many work until late into the evening. When I assign homework, I add to the stress of their already stressful lives. I have read several studies while in graduate school that said that there is little or no value in homework and several that said that homework is necessary for success. If the experts can't agree on the value of homework, how can I? It's my class and I have to decide... So, I have decided to bite the bullet and assign homework this year. Why? Didn't I just write that I hate homework???? Okay, I do hate the idea of assigning homwqork, but bottom line, students who read and prepare for themselves the night before encountering the material in class ARE more successful. My APUSH students read every single night last year. They took notes on what they read, and were expected to come to class prepared to participate in class discussions. IT WORKED! Their AP exam scores and their end-of-course scores were fantastic!! Was it because they were just exceptionally bright or worked so hard in class? Maybe, but they also did homwork every night and when it came down to scores, they ROCKED!!!


Decision 2 - Traditional or just go for it?
A. There are lots of different ways to set up your classroom. How many times have you rearranged your living room furniture alone? I have a desk, podium, and 31 students desks to play with. The possibilities are numerous. I was going to say unlimited but some math teacher would probably step in and correct me. I want students to discuss and work in small groups. I think that students work well when they are allowed to turn to another and say, "did you get that?" So, I decided to begin with a format of 8 sets of 4 desks. It won't work for quizzes or tests. The desks will have to be rearranged for large group discussions. It is where I will start. Each lesson plan will have to have the added element of desk arrangement. I am beginning to realize why I do NOT have a binder. There are so many decisions before I have even mentioned what I will teach....

B. Let's talk materials. I think lesson planning is a lot like the 3 little pigs' blueprints; pick the worng material and get the wrong result. Clever, huh? My US History class begins with colonization. What was the chances of that? Start when the Europeans arrive although if you are a purist, I will grant you that there were entire communities, populations, and civilazations here way before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Because we have an end-of-course exam that counts 20% of their grades and is standardized, the amount of time I spend on colonization is small. There are only 2 questions from this time period on the exam. The students know the basic story. They have watched Pocanhantas and in their minds, they therefore know all there is to know about Jamestown. They have studied Columbus. They start studying the pilgrims in kindergarten while preparing for their firt Thanksgiving program. By the time they reach me, they are comfortable with colonization. This is GREAT!!!

I am going to build upon this knowledge and correct a few things... Did you know that irregradless of what Disney wants to lead you to believe Pocahantas was not some beautiful princess? She was a pierced, mohawk-sporting young girl who ended up marrying John Rolfe, not John Smith. Did you know that Columbus was mainly interested in gold and when he did not find sufficient amounts, loaded up indians to be sold as slaves back in Spain to make up for the lack of gold? Yes, the Puritans came to the New World for religious reasons, but not religious FREEDOM. You either did it their way or you got kicked out - just ask Roger Williams or Anne Hutchenson. I digress. I apologize. ADD.

Day one will cover the material quickly through a station centered activity. There will be four activities and the class will move to various stations. Movement has been linked to increased student retention. Station one is a document recounting the impact of the Spanish colonization on Montezuma and his followers. Station two is a document exploring the English settlers impact on the Indian population. Station three is children's books dealing with the first Thanksgiving. Station 4 is equiped with MP3 players that have the song "Who Discovered it?" from HipHop US History. The students really respond to the music and it's different. I love the idea that they can control the pace of their listening through this as well. I found MP3 players cheap on line at CircuitCity.com, but you can probably find inexpensice ones anywhere.

We will then discuss findings and move some more through a Body Map dance that a colleague developed for younger students, but my class likes it or at least, they indulge me normally when I force them to participate. Finally, we will do a wrap up activity.

Is this the perfect day one lesson plan? I don't know but I made all the decisions and it's planned out. Stay tuned because this will work!!! I will have a perfect binder by the end of the year!

I'll Admit I Watched the Movie

I'll admit that I am here because I watched "Julie and Julia" and identified with Julie Powell. I want the same result, but not the book deal or the marriage that almost shattered; I want to accomplish a goal. I went to see the movie because a dear lady who I had taught with until her retirement said it was wonderful and I wanted to end my summer with a wonderful movie. It was a wonderful movie, but what caught my imagination and brought me here was the simple statement that Julie makes. She has ADD and she needs to be held responsible to complete the goal, to be given a reason to stay on task. Bells rang!!! I too have ADD and it's so hard to have the goal - to see it in its entirety shining like a beacon - until something else catches your attention and that too looks like a shining beacon in the distance. I want this goal to be realized though, and I have tried notebooks and journals and post its... I need someone to hold me accountable. You, dear anonymous audience, can hold me accountable. Hey, it worked in the movie...

I don't want to cook my way through a cookbook though. My passion isn't cooking. Ha! Just ask my 16 year old. He would gladly tell you that cooking is not my passion although I am a decent cook. My passion is teaching. I teach US History and I absolutely love my job. However, as I said before, I have ADD and I always think of things to do differnetly. I read constantly and start way too many sentences with "research says" or "this article I read says". Teachers are supposed to have lovely organized binders of assignments and lesson plans. This is my 5th year as a teacher... where the heck are my binders of detailed lesson plans??? Why do I start each year planning? So, this is my goal, I want to be a GREAT teacher and at the end of the school year that begins September 1st and ends June 10th, I want to have compiled the binder, the starting place, the treasure trove of lesson plans that can help my students succeed.

So, the blog is entitled "Teaching is Harder than You Think" and I have yet to touch on why it's hard other than to say I have ADD and get distracted easily. Students come to school today with shorter attention spans, ruder attitudes, and for the most part, parents who think free public education means they don't have to do anything. It's hard to take a wonderful subject like US History and make it come alive for them. I am excited though! This blog will force me to create amazing plans every day which is what I want. I don't just want to be a teacher; I want to be a GREAT teacher... but trust me, teaching is harder than you think....