Back to School

I always loved the beginning of a new school year.  Just think about it:  How many jobs out there, can you basically start brand new/fresh after a 2 month vacation?  Not many. 

After my first year teaching, I decided that my second year would be at least ten times better.  And the reason why it actually was?  Because I was prepared. 

I don't think that teachers can be completely prepared for every single thing out there---life is way too crazy for that.  Students are unique and there will be different students that expected.  I remember my second year group of students, they were, what I like to say "quirky".  They were definitely different.  My third year group of students, were, if anything, better behaved, smarter, sassier and MORE quirky.  They were so weird (I actually think that goes for middle school students in general). 

Again, preparation is the key.  If you don't prepare, you're setting yourself up to fail.  Whoops.  I don't like that "F" word, but honestly, that is what happens.  I believe there are three different areas that you need to prepare for.  Honestly, as much fun as the summer is, that was the time that I actually had to work on making my classroom a safe, learning environment.  I didn't have time to make changes during the school year---that was way too hard for me.  Plus teachers and students get in habits, and it will be too hard to switch things up.  So here are the three areas to focus on when you're preparing for your school year. 

1)  Management-Procedures and Routines.  Consequences.  How are you going to teach your routines and procedures?  How much time do you dedicate to teaching these routines and procedures?  What about consequences?  It is so much easier to figure this stuff out BEFORE the kids get into the classroom than after. 

Also, figure out what you're going to have to type up and print out for your students to take home.  Some things that should be included are: Student Expectations, Procedures, Homework Policy, Consequences, Tardy Policy, Book List, Homework Expectations, Testing Expectations, Grading Policy, and a Curriculum Preview (what we'll be learning this year).  Sometimes teachers will lump all of these things into a disclosure statement or class syllabus.  Do what is best for you and your students. 

2)  Instruction-  Make a curriculum map, print and highlight your standards, get yourself a practice state exam, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look at your textbook before the first day of school!  Make sure that you have a plan for teaching, whether it's an annual type of plan (curriculum map) or just a monthly guide of what you'll be teaching.  But, please try to make an outline of what you'll be teaching throughout the year. 

I would go through each unit, write down the theme, important vocabulary, root words and the stories that we were planning on reading (with page numbers---helps a lot guys!).  I would divide the units by the literary terms that the students were learning, and we would go from there.  In all the instructional planning you do, please always remember to refer to your state/district standards and curriculum. 

If you're a teacher, please read all of the novels/ short stories that you're planning on using in class to teach vocabulary, reading strategies or literary elements.  The students will know if you've read them before.  And it's always good to be one step ahead when you're planning. 

3)  Rapport-  I have to tell you, as important as management and instruction are, I think rapport is extremely important as well.  In order to effectively teach students, you need to have a good relationship with them.  I think the first week of school is an excellent time for lots of team building and class building activities. 

The students need to get to know you as well, so I would suggest having an introduction activity for yourself on the first day of school.  Either a PowerPoint, letting kids answer your questions or, find the fiction. 

One year I had students answer a bunch of questions about themselves on an index card (name, parent's name, phone number, favorite subject, favorite book, birthday, etc---for future reference).  I then asked them to write down a question that they had for me on the index card, any question at all that they may want to ask.  I only told them though, that after the first day, I would not answer any personal questions for the entire school year--this was there only chance.

The students enjoyed it and they asked me several things, including:  "Are you pregnant?" (I was about 7 months along at the time);  "What's your favorite animal?" (cheetahs); "What's your favorite color?" (red);  "How old are you?" (24--at the time); "Are you married?" (yes); "Are you mean?"  (yes, but only if you get in trouble/don't follow directions). 

Of course, being the literature teacher that I was in a low-income, high ELL population school, I answered all the questions in complete sentences. 

Look on the internet, look in books, there are tons of ideas.  This was my favorite book in college, and I thorougly enjoyed it!  Good luck on your first days of school!

Ten Best Harry Potter Characters

This is just a fun little post.  You can have your students do this when reading a short story.  Maybe only 3 or 5 characters.  Have them use examples from the text or direct quotes.  In honor of the last HP movie, I thought that I'd write out a list of my favorite Harry Potter characters.  This is in no particular order. 

Peeves the Poltergeist
A highly inappropriate, disobedient nutcase poltergeist that obligingly lives at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he is constantly causing chaos with his pranks.  My favorite scene with Peeves, although there are so many, is in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when the Weasley twins direct Peeves to give Umbridge hell.  I love seeing the way that Peeves salutes the twins, and causes quite an uproar from Umbridge, while the rest of the student body and the professors ally themselves with the unruly poltergeist.  I've always been sad that he's never been included in the movies! 

Lord Voldemort
 Some people might think that I am weird having him on the list, but I just have to say that I admire how JK Rowling wrote Voldemort's character.  Voldemort is pure evil.  Seriously, he is.  At one time, when he was younger, he may have been not as evil, but that nastiness has always been there.  Most authors write their antagonists with having a little bit of heart and remorse left in them, so you can feel almost sympathy with the enemy.  Not with Lord Voldemort.  He is everything a human being shouldn't be, and some of my favorite chapters in the whole series are found in book 6 when Harry learns about Voldermort's past, and how he became the man/wizard/monster that terrorized the wizarding world.  I think it's incredible to see how Voldemort became corrupted by his lust for power.  Rowling does an excellent job of writing nasty, evil villains and this is somebody that even Harry, who is a kind, well-meaning kid for the most part, can kill.  If I had to choose a person to be second to Lord Voldemort in the evil contest, I would have to say that Bellatrix and Umbridge are tied.

Hermione Granger
Hermione is the best of the best.  She is your goody two shoes, who loves school and getting good grades.  Basically, she is a model student.  If Harry and Ron hadn't become friends with Hermione, there would be no Harry Potter series.  She is the glue that holds the trio together.  Honestly, the boys are so clueless without her, and without her knowledge and skill they wouldn't have survived all their years at Hogwarts. 


Draco Malfoy
Draco's transformation from spoiled, nasty little rich boy into a young man that is essentially bullied by Voldemort really shows his true nature.  By the time that you get to book 6, most people realize that Harry and Draco are arch enemies (at least in the school sense).  They jinx and curse each other, and pull pranks.  Harry is as guilty of this relationship as Draco is.  In book 6, you finally see Draco at his breaking point.  He is bullied into killing Dumbledore, an act that will most likely kill him in the process.  During books 6 and 7, you sympathize with Malfoy, and come to realize that as "evil" as he was in the previous books, he's nothing compared to Voldemort. 


Nymphadora Tonks
I'm all about girl power.  And Tonks is a pretty hip and skilled witch that can take on some serious tasks.  You don't learn very much about her in book 5.  She has the ability to change her appearance at will, she's an auror (that has to take some skill), she is notoriously clumsy, and she likes to ask annoying questions of Harry.  I wish that they had more of her in the books, but she is definitely a B plot character.  And, she's not so awesome in book 6. (Love sick? pssh)  And in book 7, you barely see enough of her before you see that she died.  I'd like to see a sequel to the Harry Potter books that deals with the adult perspective of Voldemort's rise to power (like during books 5 and 6 of the series).

Weasley Family
Okay, I kind of cheated.  I had to include ALL of the Weasleys.  This is the family that Harry wished that he had.  And Ron, his BFF, is a part of that family.  I love Harry's relationship with the entire family.  From Ron, Fred, and George that view Harry as a close friend (almost a brother), to Ginny's childish fan girl obsession that turns into romance;   Percy's disapproval of Harry and Ron's friendship; and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's almost parent like affection of Harry.  As Mr. Weasley says in book 6, "Half of our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it... Well all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express".  On the flipside of this quote, where would Harry be without the Weasleys?  Without Ron? 

Professor McGonagall
This is a teaching blog, so I have to write a little blurb about my favorite teacher in the books.  She sure is strict, but I really think that her methods got results.  Okay, now to stop talking about her as a teacher.  Some of my favorite scenes from books 5 to 7 are with her in them.  I really liked in book 5 when she defends Harry while engaging in a yelling match with Umbridge (that's pretty unprofessional, at least she tells him to leave before it escalates).  I also like how stalwart she is---like when Harry mentions in book 5 after McGonagall is injured that he never imagined Hogwarts without her.  One of my favorite, absolute, favorite scenes is from book 7 when Harry is hiding under the invisibility cloak in the Ravenclaw dorm.  When McGonagall confronts the Carrows, they spit in her face.  Harry, in retaliation, removes his cloak and performs the cruciatus curse on them.  McGonagall, in response says, "Potter, I- that was very-very gallant of you." McGonagall, although a strict teacher, is very fair and well-liked and respected by the general student and staff population.  Maybe unknown to Harry, she is also an important mentor and guide for him while at Hogwarts. 

Severus Snape
Best written character in the story.  Snape's loyalty and devotion toward Lily Potter allowed him to protect Harry, who looks exactly like his most bitter rival (James Potter).  It's almost funny, the way that Snape bullied and punished Harry.  Especially in the 6th book, when Snape tells him that he will only be able to defeat Lord Voldemort if he can master his emotions and nonverbal magic.  One of my top 5 chapters in the entire book is when Harry sees Snape's memories after he dies.  Poor Snape, so misunderstood, but he eventually receives the respect he deserves, even if it is a little late. 

Albus Dumbledore
Harry's Gandalf.  Okay, maybe not so much.  But Dumbledore is a pretty conniving old man.  He knows what's expected of Harry, and tries to protect him as much as possible, even though he knows that Harry will have to be killed (eventually).  I like that book 7 shows a different side of Dumbledore.  Although he's always been Harry's hero, Harry realizes that not all heroes are perfect.  Do I really have to say anymore about Dumbledore? 

Harry Potter
Harry could quite possibly be my least favorite character in the series if I let all of his annoying habits (jumping to conclusions, playing hero, being a drama queen) get in the way.  But no matter how many faults he has (which show that he is human), he still has so much good left in him.  After all he's been through, he's not that bitter.  He's learned to deal with the crazy muggle Dursleys, and he's learned to deal with the backlash that comes from being famous.  Through most of the series, he's a reluctant hero.  He doesn't want to be famous and be the chosen one, but he will, because he knows what needs to be done.  I love how clueless he is with girls, I love how Harry fights and argues with his friends and I love how even though there was a part of Voldemort in him, he was still a genuinely good person. 

Groups v. Teams

Group work is an important part of cooperative learning.  Most experts agree that the best way for students to learn and retain the content that their learning is to teach that content to others.  And doesn't that make perfect sense?  As teachers, aren't we the best at what we teach? 

What is the difference then, between groups and teams?  A lot of it has to do with the noun.  Oftentimes when people think of the word group, they think of a bunch of people together.  The word team usually has people think of sports teams and working together.  Personally, I think the word team has a more positive connotation than the word group, which is more of a neutral connotation.  It's probably because I played on sports teams growing up. 


Teams are groups of people that are working toward a common goal.  Because I feel this way, I often used the word team instead of group when I talked about grouping my students together. 

My teams were all created based on ability.  I used the pretest that I gave my students the first week of school.  After I graded the pretests, I put the scores in order from highest to lowest.  I then divided the number of students I had by four.   I used the Kagan Cooperative Learning system for organizing my students.  On the list, each student will be determined by 1 of 4 categories:  High, Med-High, Med-Low, Low.  For example, if I have 24 students, the top 6 will be my High students, the next 6 Med-High, etc. until I am finished assigning the students. 

Ideally, you will have teams of 4.  That always doesn't work out.  Go for teams of 5 over 3 and teams of 3 over 6.  5 is the maximum amount of students you want in a team.  Grouping teams based on ability is better than by grouping by behavior.  BUT, do what you have to.  You need to have control of your classroom before you can effectively teach. 

When students are in their groups, assign them a partner letter or number.  I used partners:  A, B, C, D.  I just did it from where they were sitting.  I even had each desk labeled at the beginning of the school year!  Another thing:  Where you arrange your team members is important.  They will be working with each other and in pairs.  We used face partners (the person sitting across from you) and shoulder partners (the person sitting next to you).  Never partner your High with your Low. 

The seating arrangement should go like this: 

Face Partners:  High-Medium High; Medium Low- Low
Shoulder Partners:  High-Medium Low; Medium High-Low

I wish I could draw a diagram on here.  Sorry, but just remember that High and Low NEVER partner together.

Last, but not least, do some team building exercises after you get your teams together.  If you want them to work together well, they need to be comfortable with each other.  Have them make goals together; do a get-to-know-you activity, create a team name together, make a team cheer and encourage them to become friends.  I know it sounds corny, but the more comfortable students are in their learning environment, the better they learn.  And when they get too comfortable and start talking too much, you know it's time to switch it up.  :) 

I also cannot stress how important it is for students to become properly social with others.  I think this is huge.  Character education is shoved aside so often now because of standards and the rushing to teach curriculum.  When students are in teams, they learn to work with others and hopefully, eventually, understand that the world is not about them alone, but about others just as much.  I hope that in the running around and teaching students day after day, that teachers remember that students are also kids that need social interaction. 

I highly recommend the Kagan Structures Seminars for teachers of all ages.  A wealth of knowledge is found in these seminars and well worth the time spent! 

"I do it---We do it---You do it." Giving Directions only Once!

Have you ever given directions or told somebody something only to look at them and see their eyes staring off into space? 

Have you ever asked somebody to do something and five minutes later, it's still not done? 

I loved teaching middle school.  But this happened so much.  I think a lot of times, teachers expect middle school students who are older than elementary aged kids to be able to listen and behave better.  What people don't understand is everything that students are going through.  Sometimes there are issues at home or at school with friends;  and in the case of almost all middle school kids, there is something going on with their bodies that can be awfully distracting. 

So, when the time comes for you to give directions or instructions, how do you do it?  I remember I've been so frustrated before when I told students their assignment, only to have to go to every single student in the class and explain it individually.  

Here are some tips that I learned through the years that help me:
1)  Have the directions written out some place that all students can see (on the white board or SmartBoard)
2)  Break the directions down into steps.  (Step 1, Step 2)
3)  When you read each step, make the class chorally read with you.  
4)  Do each step at a time.  Show the students how you will do it.  Ask the students in class to tell you what to write on an example.  Give the students the direction to do it themselves. 
5)  Check for understanding by monitoring. 

Sometimes giving directions can be really time consuming, but if you're doing a big project or class assignment, you can afford the time to take 5 minutes to give directions.  You probably don't want to take the time to give directions like this to students who are answering comprehension questions.  When you do a new type of assignment though, this is a really good idea.  Remember:  Teaching your students how to do everything in your classroom will result in less frustration for you and your students.  It will also help you manage and teach your classroom more efficiently.  Good luck! 

Lesson Planning---Writing the best objectives for your students

Teachers are constantly walking a fine line. Because of standards.  I believe that standards need to be in place for there to be a guiding force behind state testing and teacher accountability.  It also allows for autonomy across the state and/or district so students the same grade should be learning the same content. 

HOWEVER, I don't believe that there should be state standards and district standards (not all districts have state standards.  Both districts that I worked for did).  I think it would be the best for our children if the standards were nationwide.  But, that really isn't the point of this post. 

The heart of lesson planning is what we are teaching.  What we are teaching is the objective.  I've always had a hard time writing objectives.  The two questions I always bounced back between are:

1) Standards--What am I supposed to be teaching based on the standards and pacing guide? 

2) Students--What do I want my students to learn?  
 When writing objectives, teachers also need to take into account their students' progression.  And, of course, it's always difficult because my classes were never at the exact same skill level.  Some classes struggled with poetry while at the same time they excelled with vocabulary and context clues. 

Okay, enough talking.  Here are some guidelines to help you write objectives.  

Steps to writing an objective:  
1.  Find your standard or pacing guide.  Whatever objective you write it absolutely, must match a standard.  We teachers are not allowed to teach our own standards, no matter how much more sensible they may seem.

2.  Ask yourself a question using your standard as a guide.  "What do I want my students to learn?"  By the end of class period, what do you want your students to get out of it?

The next post I write on objectives will have examples of objectives.  Sometime, I may even get into writing language objectives as well!  Happy objective writing!