Sunday, April 14, 2013

Challenge 15

There have been so many things that I have learned throughout this semester.  I wished that I could have been in a regular teaching environment so that I could have incorporated all that I have learned.  I think that learning is best when it is hands on--that is for teachers as well as for students.  If you think about it, we teachers are students too.  I am always open to learn new things.  Most of my students that I have had in the past know just as much if not more about today's technology.  It is hard to keep up with the changing times unless you participate in professional development or stay in school.  I have enjoyed learning about all the new ways to collaborate globally.  During this class, I have learned that collaborating is essential to learning.  It is a huge help if as a teacher you have peers to communicate and plan with.  It is also extremely important for students to have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers as well.  I have not had the opportunity to actually participate in a real global project. Although, when I get my own classroom I plan to have my class participate in a few global projects.  Through this class, I have learned many things.   A few of the things I have learned have been personal challenges.  I have learned that make-up is not a necessity.  I have learned that a spotless house is not always possible, and that getting to shower in peace is a luxury.  I have also learned that a single smile at 3:00 AM from a sweet newborn baby will make everything alright no matter how tired I am.  I have learned that things I thought were difficult with one child has proven to be even more challenging with two.  I have learned not to sweat the small stuff and to enjoy each day to the fullest.  It is amazing how children are able to teach adults things that we never knew could be taught.  It is the same way in the teaching field. Students teach us things everyday; sometimes we are just too busy to learn.  During my first year of teaching, I taught a 9th grade class of English/Language Arts.  I had two college prep classes, one regular education class, and one life skills English class that had thirteen challenged students in it.  There was one young man named James.  He had a very difficult time speaking.  He was not capable of learning the material that I was teaching to the rest of the class.  I discussed his ability with my principal.  I was unsure what my expectations should be of him.  My principal told me just to grade him on what he could do.  I thought to myself, "What can he do?"  As the year began, I instructed James to just copy down the vocabulary off the board instead of writing sentences and looking up the definitions like the rest of the class.  He was not even able to do this.  He would begin writing one word and confuse it with the second word.  He was truly struggling, but he continued to try.  As the year progressed, James always had a smile on his face, and turned in his work on time.  I began spending extra time with him to help him learn how to copy the words from the board.  Finally, by the end of the year he was able to copy all of the words correctly.  He was also able to match the word to the meaning.  James progressed more than I ever thought possible.  At the end of the school year, James brought me a note card, which is what they used to write vocabulary on.  On the note card, in very sloppy hand writing it said "Thank you."  James just smiled and walked away.   Those two words meant more to me than any other thing that I taught or learned the entire semester.  I knew at that moment that James did learn something, and I was very proud of him.  He taught me not to give up and that the little things are the most important.  Just like my two boys have taught me so much about being a mom, James taught me that not giving up is most important.  Progress will come, and progress is all we need to achieve success. 

Challenge 13

I am currently not teaching in a regular public classroom.  I teach at-risk female adolescents in a girls' group home.  At the current time, I am on maternity leave.  I do however think that this project would be fun if I were to be teaching in a regular public classroom.  Romeo and Juliet is a topic that I feel very passionately about, and I think that if students were able to understand the content within all of the confusing language, they too would truly enjoy Romeo and Juliet.

Project Name: Romeo and Juliet Hot Topic

Website URL: to be created

Location: Any 9th grade classroom studying Romeo and Juliet

Communication: Asynchronous and synchronous

Generation: 9th grade students studying Romeo and Juliet; teacher

Information: Students should create a blog, upload information, participate in peer discussion

Time: This project will last during the time span it will take to finish Romeo and Juliet approximately two weeks.
Learning Legacy: Students will take with them the memories and relevance to the characters in Romeo and Juliet.  Students will gain knowledge about the topic and peer interaction.

Curriculum: English/Language Arts, Romeo and Juliet. Technology will play a very important part in this project.  All students must have Internet connection, a blog, and a computer to work from.

Guiding Question: What is the inspiration behind the characters and the plot of Romeo and Juliet?

Project Aims: Students will discuss the each scene and act from Romeo and Juliet in a blog discussion.  They will gain a broad spectrum of opinions, cultural differences, and an understanding of Shakespeare's language.

Focus Questions: Who is Shakespeare?
                             Who are Romeo and Juliet?
                             Why are the families fighting?
                             Who are all of the characters? To which family do they belong?
                             What is the basic plot of the play?
                              Compare the way of life then and now.
                              What ultimately happens to each of the characters?
Standards:
1.) Identify genre, tone, and plot in short stories, drama, and poetry and identify organizational structure in essays and other nonfiction text to comprehend recreational reading materials.
Examples: plot--exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement
•  Reading predominantly world literature

2.) Compare the use of language and literary elements and devices, including rhythm, rhyme scheme, tone, and plot, in various selections, cultures, and genres.
Examples:
- language--Standard English usage versus dialect, length and complexity of sentences, diction
- literary elements and devices--flashback, personification
•  Interpreting symbolism and other figurative language
•  Recognizing foreshadowing to anticipate events
•  Making inferences about characters and their motives
•  Determining effectiveness of diction
•  Recognizing use of analogy
 
4.) Identify literary components that contribute to authors' styles.
Examples: length and complexity of sentences, diction, Standard English usage versus dialect

6.) Determine word meaning in world literature selections using word analysis and context clues.
•  Identifying the etymology of words

9.) Identify factors that influence the development of language.
Examples: geographic location, wars and revolutions, technology, mass media

ISTE NETS-S

Prerequisites and Skill Level: The use of Web 2.0 technologies and blogs.  Students will also need to be familiar with the Internet.  Students will need to have an email and know how to respond and send messages.

Required Outcomes: Student are required to post comments on other student's blogs and write their own opinions and answer questions provided by the teacher on their blog. 

Optional Outcomes: Students will need to pass a written exam with 80% accuracy.

Team Structure: Students will work with other students by digital interaction by commenting on each other's blogs.

Required Inputs: Students are expected to "handshake" with other students via email and blogs.  Participation is required in order to maintain the digital discussions. 

Optional Inputs: Students will need to manage their time and engagement of the project on a regular basis to maintain teacher requirements.

Assessment: Blog posts, discussions, and comments will be graded based on a rubric provided by the teacher. 

Evaluation: Students will submit a survey on each peer who participated in the project.  The teacher will provide the survey for each student.  Students will also take an in class written exam provided by the regular classroom teacher.  Students are also encouraged to reflect on their blog to discuss if the project enhanced their understanding of Romeo and Juliet.