Canterbury Tales

We just finished reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer.  Ok,  I should clarify, we finished reading the "Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales.  

Afterwards, I used this idea to generate a great learning experience.

We discussed, as a class, the possibility of our class going on our own journey to New York City.  Then we made a collective list of the people who would join us on this trip.

The assignment was this - the students choose one of the characters from our list and had to describe that character, as Chaucer did, in poetic form, preferably in rhyme, 15-20 lines.  They also were required to draw their character.

This is hard to see, but it's a great sample.

Why We Won't...

After losing 3 former students this past year to drug overdose, my concern for teaching my sophomore students to refuse to do drugs raised above normal limits.  I began dreaming about possible solutions.  I had a dream in which I lead my students in a Louis Mangione-style learning experience.  When I woke up, I immediately wrote it down and waited for the perfect time to try it in my health classes.

I arranged my classroom, by moving all the desks from the center of the room, and made a tape line down the center of the room.  I had my students stand around the room, and their job was to walk to the line if, as I called out different scenarios, it was true for them.  So I called out, "Have you ever been to a party where drugs or alcohol was offered?"  Those students that have found this to be true to them walked to the line.  Next I asked, "Do you know anyone who does drugs or may have a drinking problem?"  Followed by, "Have you ever lost a relationship due to drugs/alcohol?" (Once we got to this point, things got a lot more serious in the classroom.) I then asked, "Have you had a family member die due to any drug/alcohol related issue?"  "Have you ever had a friend or someone you know personally die due to any drug/alcohol related issue?" And finally, "Have you ever seen drugs or alcohol ruin others' lives?"  (By this time, the room is silent.  Surprisingly, too many of my 15-16 year old students have seen the destructive nature of drugs and alcohol.)

The most important moment was when the students wrote down their personal reasons why they will NOT do drugs or alcohol (until they are at least at legal age).  I read so many incredible stories and experiences. 

After all of the work we had done for weeks in class learning about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol, this activity was the poignant moment where my students connected their personal experiences with what we've been learning. 

All of this for me was in loving memory of Tracy Jones, Josh Shepherd, and George Patterson.  I miss each of you.

***I gave my students immunity that day - anything they shared was never going to be used against them. 

"Federigo's Falcon" Assignment

First quarter in my senior English classes, we are studying Medieval Literature.  As part of this unit, we studied "Federigo's Falcon" from the Decameron. 

Examples 1 & 2:

These examples are hard to read, but the assignment was effective.  After reading the short story, the students were assigned to ANALYZE the story.  They had to tell me what they believed the main message of the story was and give specific examples to demonstrate their understanding.  They also had to include a picture that was either literal or symbolic of what they wrote about. 

We then compared/contrasted the falcon in "Federigo's Falcon" to the eagle in the Aesop Fable, "The Eagle and the Beetle".

Image found here

Best Advice Writing Activity

Bloom where you are planted. I'm not sure who exactly gave me this advice.  I've recently realized that I have missed out on many opportunities because I have NOT bloomed where I was planted in my life. 

A few weeks ago, I had to go to Logan for the day for some orientation meetings.  I have not been to Logan or USU for a long time (probably since Lindsey was married).   I was shocked when I drove into town and didn't recognize the place.  Logan has boomed!  Even the road I drove daily, to and from school, was unrecognizable.

After my meetings, I set out to try to find my old apartment.  I found the one I lived in for 3 years, but I couldn't decide between two different buildings for my last apartment.

 I lived in the bottom apartment in this duplex for several years on 1100 N.  And as I drove down the road and looked around, I realized that I didn't recognize anything but my apartment.  I do believe that this road (since it's not a main road) has remained for the most part untouched since I lived there - but still, I didn't recognize anything.  Had I been so near-sighted while at USU that I couldn't see past my own front door?

It's sad.  Now.  To think of that.  At the time, I hated Logan, and spent most of my time away from there.  But what memories do I really have of that place?  I mean, I lived there for 4 years!


So...I'm trying to do better.  To see the beauty and joy around me.  To live in the present, not in the past.  To become familiar with my environment.  It is great to bloom!






P.S.  I have used this experience as a writing activity in my English class...what is the best advice you've ever been given and why?

Creative Writing Journals

Our school district dictates the majority of what we are allowed to teach in a year.  But this year, I have decided that my students will complete a Creative Writing Journal along with the mandated work.  I used a few ideas to get this going.

First,  I bought a book called


http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-This-Journal-Keri-Smith/dp/039953346X

This book is great for promoting random, creative acts.  Then, I purchased a composition notebook for each student (this year I was able to get them through the district warehouse).  The first assignment my students had was to decorate the cover any way they wished.  The only requirement was that their name was on the cover.  I used this idea for how to glue it all together.  My students went wild!

I have been incorporating at least one activity a week using their journals.  We have scribbled, journaled about 9/11, drawn a picture only using nature, and done some pre-writing activities.  My students are excited about something in English!  It makes me happy.


Try it in your classroom, and let me know.  I feel that high school students get pulled out of their creative minds and need to be reintroduced to them.  They need to find some joy in learning. 

How can it improve your classroom?

"Hey! You're Great!" Lesson Plan II

Hey! You’re Great! Lesson Plan by Cami Carlson (the author!)

Objectives / Goals:

            -Students will identify and discuss the idea of peer pressure.

-Students will list qualities about themselves that make them unique and special.

-Students will interview their parents/guardians to discover their distinctive traits and past experiences.

-Students will gain a stronger sense of identity.

Attention Activity/Anticipatory Set:

Prior to teaching this lesson, pull three students aside as discreetly as possible so the other students in the class don’t notice you speaking with them.  Explain to these three students that you will be showing the class various shapes.  Tell them to raise their hands when you ask for volunteers. Then, tell them each to correctly name the first 3 shapes, and when you point to the square, the three of them will each confidently say it is a triangle.

-Draw a circle, star, oval, and square on the board.  Ask for volunteers, and call on the three students with whom you previously met, along with two or three other students.  Make sure the 3 students who are “in the know” are the first three.  One at a time, ask the students to identify the 4 shapes.  Each of the first three will confidently say the square is a triangle.  Then, have the other students who volunteered identify the four shapes.

-This can work either way the students respond.  Sometimes the other students feel pressured to say the square is a triangle as their other classmates did, and this is a powerful learning opportunity.  Explain to the class that you had spoken to the three students and told them to call the square a triangle.  Ask the students who gave in to the pressure why they did.  Then ask the class why we sometimes do things we know are wrong.  Ask the students ways to effectively deal with peer pressure.  Expand on the peer pressure topic as much as you see fit.  

If the students are not swayed by the erroneous identification and call the square a square, there is still a learning opportunity.  Explain to the class that you had spoken to the three students and told them to call the square a triangle.  Ask the students who did not give in to the pressure why they didn’t.  Then ask the class why we sometimes do things we know are wrong and if it is difficult to stand for what we know is right at times.  Ask the students ways to effectively deal with peer pressure.  Expand on the peer pressure topic as much as you see fit. 

Direct Instruction:

 Read Hey!You’re Great! to the class.  Then, start a class discussion with guided questions. 

-Ask the students why the young girl in the story felt like she needed to change.

- In what ways did she and the other girls in the story give in to peer pressure?

-Why do you think each of us was born with different physical traits and qualities?

-What would the world be like if we all looked the same, acted the same, and had the same  interests?

-Have you ever given in to peer pressure? 

-What are effective ways to deal with peer pressure?

Guided Practice:

Give each student a note card.  You can have them decorate the card to reflect something special about them, or they can just use a blank card. Then, have the students list 3-5 things that make them unique.  They can be as simple as, “I am kind to others,” “I have a very large family,” or “I love to eat asparagus.”  Go around the room, and allow the students to share at least one of the things they listed.

Closure:

Remind the students that they are special and unique and that they also need to appreciate what is special and unique in others.

Independent Practice:

Give the students a list of interview questions to take home to interview their parents/guardians and find out what makes them special.  The students will write down the responses and bring them back to class the next day.  Consider the following list of interview questions:

1-  What was special about my birth?

2-  How did you choose my name?

3-  Was I a happy baby, or did I cry a lot?

4-  What were my first words?

5-  How am I different from my siblings?

6-  What were my favorite toys as a toddler?

7-  Did you have a nickname for me, and why?

8-  What do you think my best qualities are?

9-  What was my favorite television show or movie?

10- Did I have a favorite song?  What was it?

*Be cognizant of students who were adopted or are in foster care.  You can add more questions to the list that are about the students’ lives right now, and have them choose just 3 from the list instead of the entire list of questions.

Required Materials:

                -Hey! You’re Great!  by Cami Carlson, which can be purchased on any of the following sites:

                http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61739-927-5

                www.amazon.com

                www.barnesandnoble.com

Follow-Up:

Allow the students to share what they discovered from their parents/ guardians in their interviews.  They can turn in their interview notes, share them with the class, or both.

Back to School Activity

Ok,  first of all, I teach Senior English and health (sophomores) in a small school in rural Utah.  I LOVE teaching these classes and students.  This year, as we were just getting started, I tried to think of a great way to get to know my students (or to learn something NEW about my students), so I chose to use a children's book.  A great friend of mine, Cami Carlson, recently published a book of her own called "Hey!  You're Great!" 

This was the book that I chose to use to get to know my students.  I read it to my students - and you may be surprised but most of my students still LOVE to be read to!  This book is so unique in that is teaches a powerful lesson about being true to who you are in a fun, subtle way.  Cami's writing style is very catchy and fun; everyone loves it! 

So as I read to my students, both in English and health, I had them ,on a notecard, list 2-3 things that made them unique.  I got the best responses, for example, "I am a forgiving person", "I refuse to give into peer pressure",  "I have many siblings", "I am determined to become a nurse", or "I am good at wakeboarding tricks".  Any and all of the responses I got that day were new and useful to me as their teacher because it allowed me to immediately learn something personal about them, and I knew at least one thing that my students found important.

***To purchase this book, for just $8.99, go here or to Amazon.com.

Where Were You? 9/11 Activity

This week, as we have been preparing for the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, I have been filled with the memories and emotions. 

This year in my English classes, I decided that we needed to do something to remember this day.  My seniors were 7, in the 2nd grade, when we were attacked on that day.  They were young.  So I found an article that discussed the perspective of the 10 (known) children born to victims of 9/11 (their dads were killed on 9/11).  It was interesting to hear what things my students remembered and then compare what memories they have to the comments of these children (who are at a similar age as my students were on 9/11/01). 

I talked for a while about how I feel that 9/11 was a catalyst in my life.  I was in college at Utah State University and working in Ogden at Nutraceutical.  I had worked at Nutra for many years (probably 7 by that time), and I had always loved working there.  But as I was nearing the end of my college career (I had been accepted into the Education Program...FINALLY), I had had a "tugging" to quit working and driving to Ogden and to focus on my schooling. 

The morning of 9/11 I was at work, and Crystal, my sister, called me from Ohio (she and Brent were in Ohio then at Dental School).  She was noticeably upset.  She told me to turn on the radio, and then we listened to what was unfolding (by that time both towers had already collapsed).  We were terrified.  I remember as a little girl hearing from some kids at school that we could be bombed when the Third WW happened because we lived by Hill Air Force Base.  I think that on 9/11 I understood what that childish threat could possibly mean.  I was scared. 

As I finished up my duties that day at work, I knew that I would never come back.  I had previously hinted that it was time to quit, so that made my departure easier, and I left. The events of 9/11 instilled in me a sense of urgency and immediacy.  I knew that I needed to not waste any more time - I needed to finish my goals of becoming a teacher.  That was it. 

Although I was not directly effected by this tragedy, I was affected emotionally.  I watched the news and news program for a month straight.  I was amazed with the bravery, the dedication, the loyalty, the compassion, and the strength of any and all that were involved in one way or another that day.  Recently, I caught parts of interviews I had watched 10 years ago of wives who were on the phone with their husbands when their plane went down, 911 dispatchers calmly and peacefully talking to scared victims, and of course, the firefighters who served then and now without thought of personal harm.  When I think back to 9/11 now, I am filled with pride.  I am so proud to be an American.  I am so proud to see examples of love and service in my fellow Americans.

In the end, I asked my students to write about their most visual memory of that day and what lessons they (or have we) learned.  It was a great learning activity.