Caught on YouTube

Penny Crooks, assistant principal at AHS, recently shared with me her visit to a classroom where the teacher was using YouTube. I know most of you are thinking, "OK, that's nothing new."  However, this teacher was not just using a clip that she found, but it was one that she made herself!  Nicole Winsley, English teacher at AHS, is trying out the "flipped classroom"concept and has created several short instruction videos to help students with English/Language Arts concepts.  Her latest video combines grammar with her love of music.  Check out the video she created on "5 Ways to Spot a Fragment" set to the popular tune of "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke.

Reading for His Life

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/brian-banks-woman-whose-fake-rape-claim-put-nfl-player-in-prison-forced-to-pay-061513


The article above is about an Atlanta Falcons player who was formerly jailed for rape and then had his name cleared. It indicates the falsely accused remained sane by reading as many books as he could. It is a great foundation for persuasive writing, a seminar or debate, and/or an essay on redemption.

~Kathy Saunders, AHS English Teacher 

National Day on Writing 2013

The National Day on Writing first took place on October 20, 2009.  This year, since the day falls on a Sunday, celebrations of writing will be held October 20-21.  The day, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), asks Americans to consider the role of writing in everyday life.  Here are some ways you can get in on the celebration.  This year's theme is "Write to Connect".  Writing today is the way we most often connect--through texts, status updates, blog posts, and multimedia compositions.  Writing is also the way we connect across disciplines and connect to other writers, thinkers, and innovators.

• Twitter chat on October 20 with Penny Kittle (@pennykittle) and Katherine Sokolowski (@katsok) at 8:00 PM ET. Use the hashtag #nctechat to follow their discussion on writing with technology (in honor of Connected Educators Month #ce13) and how to write to connect across K-20 curriculum.
• On October 21, tweet out the ways you use writing to make connections using the hashtag #write2connect and, if space allows, #dayonwriting.
• The conversation continues on October 21 at 7:00 PM ET with NCTE members Sarah Mulhern Gross (@thereadingzone) and Meenoo Rami (@meenoorami) and the #engchat discussion, which takes place every Monday.

Aside from the Twitter chats, the National Writing Project is encouraging everyone to share their actual writing in all forms via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Instagram.  

Here are some "Write to Connect" resources for educators:

• Connected Educators
• 5 Ways to Celebrate Connected Educator Month
• Resources for Connected Educator Month
• Digital Is...What exactly
• What's New or What's Good:  On Writing Connectively
• Engaged Writers:  Crafting New Texts
• Making and Creating

Getting Rid of Round Robin

"The classroom is quiet.  All the students have the same book open on their desks.  One student is reading aloud.  Other students are counting ahead or gazing out into space.  The student who just finished reading sighs with relief when her turn is over." (Hilden and Jones, 2013)

The description above is of Round Robin Reading (RRR).  In RRR, all students are expected to follow along as individual students take turns reading, usually in a predictable order.  There are also several variations:

• Popcorn Reading:  students read aloud in "random order"
• Combat Reading:  students call on one another to read, trying to catch each other "off task"
• Popsicle Reading:  teacher writes students' name on popsicle sticks and then randomly pulls the sticks to determine the reading order)

We all have done it, or it at least seen it. Although it is a popular instructional practice, there is little research to support its use.  There is no research evidence that RRR contributes to better readers, either in terms of fluency or comprehension. The drawbacks (slower reading rates, off-task behaviors, problems with comprehension, and problems with self-efficacy and motivation)  far outweigh any possible benefits.  

Here are some alternatives to Round Robin Reading:  

Partner reading

Small group reading

Choral reading (all read together)

Readers Theater

Alternating-teacher reads one paragraph aloud and students read one silently

Jigsaw

Want even more ideas? >> Click here. <<

NCDPI READY Initiative Video

NCDPI staff have developed an animation for educators across the state planning, meeting, and working with the READY initiative. 

• The video works well as a "tone setter" for discussions around the new Common Core State Standards and Essential Standards, new assessments, educator effectiveness, school/district turnaround and more.
•  It serves as an inspirational reminder about the work we do and the ultimate beneficiaries of that work — the 1.5 million students of North Carolina. 
• It also could serve as a way to remind parents and the broader community about our accomplishments and goals and how they could help support our efforts. 


 

www.ncpublicschools.org