Wednesday July 24, 2008

Scribing by Paul Beverage

Writing Prompt:

Forward thinking prompt to think about your life as a writer.  Candance read from Shop Talk, page 43 "The Writing Habit."

Writing Habits:

"If you work only three to five hours a day, you become quite productive.  It's steadiness that counts." - Woody Allen

"A lot of young writers wait for inspiration.  Inspiration only hits you at the desk." - Robert Anduson

"Rituals?  Ridiculous! My only ritual is to sit so close to the typewriter so that my fingers touch the keys." - Isaac Asimov

"Get up very early and get going at once, in fact, work first and wash afterwards." - W.H. Auden

"The actual physical process of working with tpen and paper seems to nourish my thinking." - Gwendolyn Brooks

"I have long since decided if you wait for the perfct time to write, you'll never write.  There is no time that isn't flawed somehow." - Margaret Atwood

What are the rituals or things you will do to put yourself in the position to recieve writing ?  Take one of the above quotes to jump into or think and write about how you are going to make this work for you.

Demonstration Lesson by Sean Fleming: Writing Towards Justice

To begin, spend 5 minutes writing the answers to these questions: What do you love?, What is your passion? What is your bliss? Follow it!

Look for proof in your writing about what your passion is.  Are those the things that you are writing about?  What are some of the topics and themes that are in your notebook.  Are they there in what you are writing about?   How can you add more information?

Read stories, poems, non-fiction that can give you insights about your passion.  Sean talks about how he wants children (and adults) to see how we can all make this world a better place. He uses this sense of justice in his class.  How do I do this? When in doubt sing a song. I want them to open their eyes to the world and see how they can make it better.   We as teachers have a role in that.  Education is Political. How do we show the students their power to create change.  I am into baby steps.  I am not into revolution - too many people get hurt.

Sean's school recieved a scanner from www.donorschoose.org

Sean reads poems from Bruce Vento school / writing by students in his class.  The different directions that a teacher can take a student to talk about a topic: encyclopedia, current events.  Could spend a lot of my time editing or I could work on some content.  One of the huge issues I have found with fourth graders is their interest in fairness and that is a great way to enter into social justice issues.  Their natural inclination is to look at problems in the world as a fairness issue and to try to solve them.

Sean shared resources for finding more information about Social Justice Issues.  A great way to open up our kids to the world. 

Additional resources: www.americanswhotellthetruth.org - great book and resource for american history and social justice.

www.freerice.com - each question answered on this site donates 20 grains of rice, to date 39 billion grains of rice have been donated.

Patty Sullivan's Demo.

Assessment: More Than Making the Grade

Scribing by Jodi Anderson

Patty began by intriguing us with passed out cards.  :-)

Background:  Eighth grade communications teacher in Eagan "with strong feelings about assessment."

                    In Master's program, assessment was her focus.  Patty incorporates MI theory into discussing assessment in class.  Success comes from perceiving emotions, using emotions for thinking, understanding emotional meaning, and managing emotions.

Outline of activities:  Making our own connections, self-reflection activities, "gradin' bugs me" activity, rubric video, creating a rubric together, and ending with an assessment video

1.  Making our own connections--  What are the "big ideas" we really want our students to get out of our curriculum?  Patty asked us to list the major units we cover, to start considering this question.  Then, next to each unit, note the "big ideas" each unit tries to achieve.  Like with Bob's demo, think about your "golden threads" in teaching.

>  Took time to share

2.  Think about this:  In a letter to parents, explain your grading philosophy.  Consider:  How accurate and non-subjective is your grading policy?  How your philosophy promotes students' learning and is in the best interest of the child?  How you view concerns about grade inflation, and effort versus product?  What would your bumper sticker slogan for your grading policy be?

Share your summary statement with partner.

3.  Gradin' Bugs Me--Each students has a blank piece of paper; students are graded on how well they listen to completing this assignment.  It is worth 40 points.  All students must be totally quiet.  Draw the body of bug, head, wings, eyes, antennas, legs, a way to defend itself, and decorate it.  Compare drawing to teacher's drawing.  Points are awarded for how the teacher defined what the bug should look like.

     Discuss why this is a fair assignment or not.  Do we all have the same talents and skills?  What should the teacher have done to make the assignment and its assessment clearer?  How might this activity compare to grading you on your reading and writing?

     > Gretchen noted how students might think it is their role to figure out what the teacher wants. 

     > Anne noted that some students might not value grades.  This can lead to a discussion of why the assignment was valuable or not.

     > Paul noted the frustration of not being able to ask questions

Patty talks to her students about grading:  Grading is a subjective partnership.  Students can ask questions; learning takes time, practice, examples, and opportunities to share.  Assignments may be redone.  Grading is about growing.  Assignments are used as conversation points; a teacher needs work turned in so he or she can get a feel for what a student does well or what is needed for improvement.

     >  Gretchen said that when her students are told something's not being graded, the quality actually goes up.

     >  Michelle said, "It doesn't matter when you learn; it's that you learn."--Work can be redone.

     >  Anne asked about how goals are accomplished.  Patty said goals can be for each assignment or for a semester/year.

Goals:  Organization, transitions.  Muriel noted, "Goals can be as small as 'Show me two leads.'"

     >  Lindsey said that rubrics have their purposes, but they can also perhaps contribute to students shutting down.

     >  What can people do if parents are concerned about grades?  Keep portfolios, opportunities to rewrite, conference with student and parents to talk about student's effort or reasons for not being successful on a certain assignment.  Or, teacher can ask parents, "What are your goals for your student?" 

4.  "Rethinking Writing Rubrics with Maja Wilson"--on youtube.com:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjKLvvMxXwM

     * Points from video:  Rubrics were created as a way to "keep people out."  Rubrics create uniformity in student writing and teacher's response.  "An interesting piece of writing throws a rubric into chaos."

     Gretchen said, though, that rubrics can asked as a series of questions, covering different topics, more specific to a particular assignment.

Ended with the letters distributed at the beginning.  Patty gives letters to her students, commenting on them as individuals, to help balance or "off-set" gradebook grades. 

** See Patty's posted PowerPoint for the rest of her presenation ideas.