I Hate Boring Reports

Hey all,
Today I passed out my Civil War in a Can project direction sheet. This is my big end of the year project. I saw another teacher using this with her English class, and I modified it for the Civil War. I really got tired of hearing boring reports read by the students, so with this project, there are no reports required. What the student has to do is research a person, event, or feature of the Civil War (Abraham Lincoln, Battle of Gettysburg, Women in the Civil War). Then they use an ordinary tin can, about the size of a paint can to demonstrate their expertise in their topic. I have a list of about 21 topics. I place the topics in a can, and the students randomly choose what they will research. I make it random, because I don't want 20 projects on Abrahm Lincoln. The students are required to decorate their can to reflect their topic. Then they are to find at least 5 objects to place into their can. On presentation day, they will pull out each object one at a time to help them talk about their topic. For example, a student can  pull out a rock, and say, "This is a rock that was found at the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg took place...." The object are just something that they can use to open up their presentation. To do this project, they will have to become experts on their topic. They will not be handing in a report of any kind. I grade them as they present. I have my own list of information that they should know if they did basic research. If they don't mention what I have on my list, I ask them about it, and most of the time, they will say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." and they'll tell me what they remember. Some kids go all out and really give great presentations. Others don't, and they know it. It makes my end of the year easier, because I don't have a mountain of reports to grade, and the kids leave my class being experts on at least one aspect of the Civil War. There is a lot more to this project, and I'll be posting it on the website soon.

Today's Advice for New Teachers: Don't make your tests so serious. On every test, I always include a "freebie." This is a question that has nothing to do with the subject matter. If the student gets it right, it's an extra point. If they get it wrong, it doesn't hurt their grade. Mostly, I use brain teaser questions, like: Johnny's mother had four children. One was named April; the other was named May, and another was named, June. What was the name of the fourth child? Most kids will figure it out and answer, Johnny, but some won't, and they'll feel worse about missing the freebie that they do about missing the real questions. You can find these questions on the web. Just Google, brain teasers. Anything you can do to take away some of the "stress" from the test, will help your students do better.

Thanks,
Sam
SuccessInTheClassroom.com

Who's On My Back?

Today I had the students play a game I call, "Who's On My Back?" I had the student create a trading card (see previous post) for homework. I had them pull it out and place it on their desk. Those that didn't do the homework could not participate. I placed little pieces of Scotch tape on the edges of my overhead cart. Then I told them what they were going to do. I recruited a volunteer from the class. I told the class that they were to get a piece of tape from the cart and place it on their card with some of the tape exposed on top. Then they were to stick their card on the back of another person. This is where I told the students, "If you didn't do the homework,  you can't participate. If someone tries to stick a card to your back, make sure you tell them that you can't participate because you didn't do your homework and that you know that you disappointed Mr. Rangel and that because you didn't do what was required last night, you demonstrated that your education is not that important, but you have learned your lesson, and you will never forget to do your homework again." They laughed a little. Once someone places a card on their back, the student has to go around and ask someone, "Who's on my back?" Then that person will look at that card and the game will begin. The person with the card will try and guess who is on the card by asking yes/no questions of the other student - "Is it a person? Is it a general? Did he fight for the South? These questions will continue until the person guesses correctly who is on the card. Once the student gets it right, he/she will sit down. It takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. It's one of those "Get-The-Kids-Out-Of-Their-Chair" assignments. I then explained the big Civil War in a Can Project. I'll talk about that in later posts.

Today's Advice: Get the little things ready ahead of time. With 8th graders, you have to be efficient with time. Too much free time will lead to the students getting noisy and it will be harder to get them back on task. Even little things like strips of Scotch tape can cause your activity to become less fun.  I made sure that I had the little pieces of tape already for them to just pull off the cart and stick it on the card.  It would have been hard to control the activity if I had to cut pieces of tape as they were walking around. Anything you can do ahead of time will make things easier for you.

Thanks,
Sam
SuccessInTheClassroom.com

Vacation is Over

Today I returned back to school. It was tough waking up, since I was not used to waking up so early. Today I gave a lecture using my Powerpoint presentation on the Civil War. After the notes, I was going to show a video, but I remembered an old activity that I used to do a few years ago - History Trading Cards. What I did was pass out a blank 3X5 card to each student. On the front of the card, the students were to draw a picture of a person or event that we have studied. They were to include the name and a description of the person or event. For example: U.S. Grant - Union General. On the back, the students needed to pull 7-10 facts from their notes and write them neatly. I told them that it has to be quality work - no pencil and no white space. The students spent about 25 minutes working on it. I assigned a second trading card for homework. Some finished early, but the majority of the students took the whole time. Those that finished early could either sit quietly or start working on their other card. I will use that card for another fun activity that I'll post tomorrow. Today's cards are already stapled to the bulletin board.

Today's advice: It's OK to change your plans at the last minute. Sometimes you get to school, and the plan you had prepared all night just won't work for one reason or another. Don't feel bad if you have to throw something together at the last minute. If this happens too often, however, it may be time to re-evaluate your planning sessions. : ) I came to school today with one plan, and ended up modifying it when I got to school. It worked out OK. See you tomorrow.
Sam
SuccessInTheClassroom.com

More Great Advice

Hello all,

I added some more good advice for new teachers. I found these on a forum that I joined. Check it out here:

http://www.successintheclassroom.com/bestadvicefornewteachers.html

Still on my vacation, but I'll be back in the classroom next week. That month just flew by. Once I'm back in school, I'll be updating the blog more regularly.

Today's advice: Celebrate your students' birthday. It's a small thing, but it's something my kids look forward to. In my class, I start each day with a sponge activity called, "Today in American History." I have important events that happened in our history on that particular day projected on my Power point, and the students have to copy it down. I go over the events and their importance. I always check my birthday list in the morning, and if there is a student who has a birthday on that day, I add it to the important historical events. I always come up with a story about how I'll always remember that day. The earth shook. The birds sang extra loud, etc. Then I tell them how since that day the world has never been the same. (I clarify that it has been better.) Kids appreciate it. Stay tuned for my next post.

The 3X5 Card

Hello all,

I'm about four days into my vacation. Being a teacher in a year-round school, I get three months off each year, and April is one of my OFF months. Not being in the classroom, I didn't have anything to discuss in this blog, so I thought I would tell you about an experience I had recently with a student of mine. We'll call her Jackie. She's a great kid who does well, and I don't know too much about her home life, but one day she came up to me and asked me, "So Mr. Rangel, what did you get me for my birthday?" I thought quickly, and reached down on my desk and handed her a blank 3X5 index card. "Here," I said, "Happy Birthday!" I expected her to get mad or walk away, but she reached out and took it, saying "Thank you," as she walked away. Then she turned back and asked me to sign it, so I did, and she placed it in the front of her binder for all to see. That struck me as kind of odd, but I learned that even that little time I took for her was important.

The next day, I called her up to my desk and said, "I have another gift for you." I handed her another card. On the front of the card it was blank, but I had taken the time in the morning to write her a little note that read, "Jackie. You are a wonderful young lady. I know you are going to do great things in your future. I am very proud of you." I signed it.

I walked away after giving it to her, but I heard her say, "Thank you Mr. Rangel." I later saw that she had replaced the first card with the new one on the cover of her binder.

Again, I don't know what her home life is like, but if she is a lot of my students, that note card may be the only words of encouragement she hears. This is what makes teaching worthwhile. I plan on giving out more 3X5 cards.

Here's my advice for today: Assume that each student has a terrible home life and that school is the only safe place for them. Be that one positive influence in your students' lives. Assume that their poor behavior is a result of that terrible home life. That assumption will make it easier to deal with . It may not be true for most of your students, but if you assume that it is, your encouraging words and welcoming smile will make a world of difference for that one or two students for whom that terrible home life is a reality.

That's all.