Calming the Chaos

I like to use engaging, small group activities toward the end of the year as opposed to individual work. Let's face it - the students have ants in their pants and engaging socially in a worthwhile activity can settle things down. Here's an activity that I can't take credit for creating, but have been using for a few years. I've found it several places on the internet, and I can't nail down the original creator, so if you know who it is (or if it's you!) please let me know so I can give credit. It's become a favorite, and I look forward to it every year.

The exercise is meant to help students understand that although we may all read the same text, we all react differently, based on our experience, culture, perceptions, emotions etc...Pass out Pablo Neruda's "Ode to My Socks" (link here), divide the students into groups of three or four, and pass out paper and markers. Have the group read the poem, and then create an artistic rendition of the socks. Post each piece of art on the board and have the groups explain why they made the decisions they made and which images spoke to them. A great discussion generator!

FREEBIE! Here is a link to an SQ3R note-taking freebie that will help your students study their textbooks for finals. 

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End of Year Blog Hop and Giveaway

We've all experienced the almost-the-end-of-the-year restless class syndrome. One strategy I've used successfully to get students to focus and finish strong is to pass out raffle tickets for doing well (getting a certain score on a pop quiz, participating in a class discussion etc...). I also give out tickets after reviewing each student's grade sheet, and making a plan for the rest of the year.

The raffle takes place the last week of school, and I display some of the prizes early on to motivate the students. I keep an eye out all year for interesting prizes, and have found they don't need to be expensive or fancy--a plate of Rice Krispie treats was the first to go last year. It's worth it to ask for donations from local companies--many are happy to oblige.

 It's also always a good idea to introduce fresh material at the end of the year. Below you will find a blog hop and giveaway (April 27 - 30) where you can win a plethora of free classroom materials, a $35.00 Amazon gift card, and an additional three products from Lessons from the Middle TPT store.

The product I am donating for the giveaway is a set of 20 figurative language posters. Click here for a freebie sneak peek at the product (5 free posters!). Below are all the participating blogs where you will get great end-of-the-year ideas and the giveaway information. Good luck!

Fear of Presenting

Today was the end of a quarter and the last assignment for my students was an oral presentation on the topic of their research papers. I always think of this as a break for them - no MLA formatting, no worrying about fragments or run-ons or proper in-text citations. I was reminded today, however, that some students suffer extreme fear of speaking in front of the class.

One of my students is outgoing, gregarious, and is often told to be quiet by the other students because he talks and talks and talks - loudly. Before each class period, he asks me if the topic for the response paper for the day is going to be controversial, because he loves to debate. He is always the first with his hand in the air, and often interrupts and talks over other students in his enthusiasm to be heard.

Imagine my surprise when today he announced that he would not be giving a presentation because it caused him too much anxiety. I thought he was joking at first, but then I saw the tension in his face. I protested--it would be the difference between an A and a B, and he surely deserved an A, but he said he'd rather take a B than speak in front of the class. I explained my surprise since he seemed to enjoy an audience. He said he couldn't explain it; he knew it wasn't rational, but he'd always suffered from this paralyzing fear. Then, he disappeared from class, presumably to avoid the pressure to speak. 

There have always been a few students who decline to present, but this case, in particular, brought home how important it is to be sensitive to those who suffer from this phobia and to devise ways to help alleviate the stress ahead of time. In the coming week, I'll post some things I've done in the past, but I'm curious how other teachers handle this situation. All ideas are welcome!

Organization Resources

I wrote a book on being an organized mom, because I have that down, but I'm constantly trying to figure out how to stay organized as a teacher. Drowning in the paperwork is my achilles' heel. At the beginning of each quarter, I tell myself that THIS time, I will clean out my briefcase every day, file everything, purge etc... and every quarter I find myself facing a briefcase, drawers and a classroom awash in paper, despite some methods that have tamed portions of the beast (see this blog and this blog).

So I am constantly on the lookout for good ideas to improve. Here is a book, The Together Teacher, by Maia Heyck-Merlin, that the publisher sent me to review quite a few months ago. I finally had a chance to read through it, and I'm sorry I didn't read it earlier. There are a lot of great practical ideas here, but I like her approach of looking at the big picture first--determining what matters. There is also a CD included with customizable templates.

 The go-to source for keeping an organized classroom is Charity Preston's Organized Classroom Blog. She has many links, products, freebies and even an online magazine to help in the quest for organization. There is no better one-stop source.

What's in the Sack? Group Brainstorming Activity

Whether your students are preparing for a big essay assignment or a quick in-class effort, coming up with a topic to write about can be the hard part. Here is a fun activity I've used with my classes with good results. It loosens up the thought process, and is a nice change of pace.

Divide the class in to groups. Give each group a bag with six everyday items in it, such as a rock, a deck of cards, a piece of fruit, a magazine, a quarter, etc....Set a timer for two minutes and have the group pull one item out of the bag. During the two minutes, the group should come up with as many topic ideas as possible related to the object. For example, if the group pulls out the quarter, some topic ideas might be money management, saving strategies, summer jobs, economic policy, reward motivation, allowances from parents, getting paid for good grades....Tell the students to list everything that comes to mind without editing. The more ideas, the better. After the activity, have each group share of few of their best ideas for each object with the whole class.

           

Figurative Language Posters

When teaching figurative language to students, I find a visual really helps them get the concept. I asked my artist daughter to help me make some posters that would be fun and memorable. Here they are for you to use in your classroom. This free set includes metaphor, simile, alliteration, oxymoron, and personification. Click here or on one of the images to download the posters.

If you like these and want more, I have a set for $4.50 that also includes hyperbole, allusion, onomatopoeia, metonymy, and euphemism. This set also includes the illustrations without the titles so you can use them for a quiz or review for your students. You can find the set of 20 posters here.

Common Core Organizing System

Where I teach, we have standards very similar to the common core standards. My system for keeping track of my materials was a bit haphazard, to say the least. What was especially unorganized were all my handouts and online files. I decided to get organized, and after developing this 3-ring binder system, I cut my prep time down significantly. I created a page for each standard, written out, that serves as a cover sheet in a binder. Next comes a planning sheet where I write down my lesson plans and the location of online files, powerpoints, videos etc...Then I list handouts and any reading from textbooks. Hard copies of handouts go behind the planning sheet.

 

This worked so well for me, I decided to create the same thing with 6 - 12 grade common core language arts standards. It was labor-intensive, but the results are well worth it! I've gotten great feedback so far from teachers who are implementing this system. So, if you want to get organized, save yourself the time -- I've done the work for you! Click on any of the covers below to get to the product page.