Category: Curriculum Thoughts

Curriculum Thoughts

Social Justice Books to Share

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Grade 6 Books 

This is a list of 58 books that were shared throughout the school year with my grade 6 class. Sometimes the books were shared in the form of a read aloud with discussion. Other times we found the Youtube video and watched. Students were given the opportunity to reread and further research topics that resonated with them. Social Justice is a broad subject that must be addressed. These 58 books are a good place to start. Students completed presentations related to: Japanese Internment Camps, Residential Schools, Louis Riel, Red River District- Metis and Scots, Italian and Irish Workers, Relocation of First Nations, North West Rebellion, Chinese Railway-Head Tax, Underground railway, Black Loyalists, Grand Pre Paintings, Home Children, Forced Migration of Slaves, Africville, Irish-Potato Famine. 

Some of the topics were uncomfortable for children because they experienced anger, frustration, and disbelief. I explained to them that it was okay to feel like this and that education requires us to learn about the real history of Canada. A great country and yet a country with mistakes in its past. Through education, we can learn from the past. Some of the books review the Socio Economic challenges people face= living on the street, alcoholism, and government. The Sissy Duckling and The Boy in the Dress embraces the LGBTQ community. The students were given the opportunity to see through the eyes of someone trying to understand who they are… building their empathy.

I Hate English! Ellen Levine

The Remarkable Maria Patti McIntosh

My Rows and Piles of Coins Tolowa M. Mollel

The Gold Coin Alma Flor Ada

Napachee Robert Feagan 

Yanni Rubbish Shulamith Levey Oppenheim

Jeremiah Learns to Read Jo Ellen Bogart

Tar Beach Faith Ringold 

On the Day You Were Born Debra Frasier

Tallchief; America’s Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief(Author), Rosemary Wells  (Author), 

Grandfather’s Journey Allen Say

The Garden Wall Jennie Bishop

Gleam and Glow  Eve Bunting 

The Wall Eve Bunting 

Sadako Eleanor Coerr

So Far from the Sea Eve Bunting

Eli Remembers Ruth Vander Zee 

Encounter Jane Yolen

Seven Sacred Teaching: Niizhwaaswi gaglikwewin  by David Bouchard

The Can Man Laura E. Williams

A Shelter in Our Car Monica Gunning

The Boy in the Dress David Walliams

Smoky Night Eve Bunting

Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa Jeanette Winter

Way Home   Libby Hathorn 

You and Me and Home Sweet Home            George Ella Lyon 

Four Feet, Two Sandals Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed

Running shoes Frederick Lipp

Ryan and Jimmy; and the Well in Africa that Brought Them Together  Herb Shoveller

The Roses in My Carpets Rukhsana Khan

King of the Skies Rukhsana Khan

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story From Iraq Jeanette Winter

Secret Signs: A Escape Through the Underground Railroad  Anita Riggio

The Dot Peter H Reynolds

As Long As the Rivers Flow James Bartleman

Love As Strong As Ginger Book Lenore Look

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Debora Hopkinson

Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged Jody Nyasha Warner

A Turtle Called Friendly Jean Sangwine

My Name is Bilal Asma Mobin-Uddin

In Our Mother’s House Patricia Polacco

Walking To School : A Story From Northern Ireland by Eve Bunting

Morning on the Lake Jan Bourdeau Waboose

The Way To Start A Day Byrd Baylor

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky Chief Seattle

The Last Polar Bear Jean Craighead George

A is For Algonquin, An Ontario Alphabet Book by Lovenia Gorman

The Composition Book Antonio Skármeta

Just Like Josh Gibson Angela Johnson

Raisel’s Riddle Erica Silverman

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

The Sissy Duckling Harvey Fierstein 

Nadia’s Hands Karen English

The Woman Who Outshone the Sun Book by Alejandro Cruz Martinez, Harriet Rohmer, and Rosalma Zubizarreta

Fly Away Home Eve Bunting

Nanabosho Dances Joe McLellan

Imagine That! Rosemary Holmes- Gull

Willow by Julia Hoban ( A Novel )

A Castle on Viola Street DyAnne Disalvo

Our New Home: Immigrant Children Speak Emily Hearn  (Non – Fiction)

Curriculum Thoughts

Ahhh! What do I teach on the first day of school ?

msdancingshoesLeave a comment

The first day of school brings excitement, anxiety and confusion. Yes, I’m talking about how the teachers feel. It is an exciting time when things are fresh and routines are not yet established. Ask any teacher if they have had nightmares before school starts and they will likely shout out YES! Here are a few suggestions to help you on your first day.  Remember, you will have to wake up the next day and teach again, so don’t try to do everything on the first day. 

Be Prepared

If you plan on using any photocopied materials on the first day, I suggest that you have them prepared before the first day. You do not want to be stuck in a long line up waiting for materials to print.  I used to prepare papers for the entire first week throughout the week before school started. I had them lined up in piles behind my desk so that I didn’t have to waste time or feel stressed while I waited for someone to finish their photocopying.  If you are teaching with the use of less paper, great! Just make sure that your technology is up and ready to go.

You don’t know what you don’t know, so ask.

Find out where the students will store their coats, hats, backpacks etc. Find out where the students will eat their lunch and how the school expects them to be dismissed.  The younger the student, the more supervision required… SAFETY FIRST. Find out how you will meet them on the first day of school. Find out what time you are expected to be outside and if you have a duty schedule. Find out if you need to carry a walkie-talkie outside and what to do if someone needs first aid. Some schools arrange for students to line up outside based on their grade and then they are sent to their assigned teacher.  Remember this is stressful for both the children and the parents. Some students are sent directly to their classroom from the office. The point is that the first half of the day is going to be busy and confusing. Take deep breaths, think of some casual activities that students can do while you meet new students and be ready to be flexible with your planning. Let the students get comfortable at their desk and then be ready to share the most important information needed. Where is the bathroom? When there are new students, you can ask another student to show them around the school and let them get accustomed to their new surroundings. ( Take attendance first) 

What do I do now? 

If you think you are going to start teaching hard core math and language on the first day, then I congratulate your integrity. However, I believe it is better to gradually move into work routines throughout the first week. Don’t send the students home with a truck load of homework on the first day.  Okay, okay, so if they are not doing work, what are they doing? Great question. They are sharing information about themselves. I share a WELCOME TO THE CLASSROOM letter telling them about my favourite things. Movies, books, food,quotes, destinations, video games, tv shows anything that I think they will be able to relate to.  Then I give them an opportunity to talk about their favourites with people at their group. You could have them share in a circle, but be aware that some students may be uncomfortable talking in front of the whole class. I prefer to let them share at their table and then people can share something that their partner shared with the class.  This also makes them accountable for listening. 

Here are two links with activities.

Trust Activities- Tribes http://tribeslilydalehs.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/0/9/26094658/tribes_195-270.pdf

Building Effective Classrooms 

Click to access BTClassM.pdf

How do I create a balance between working at a desk and moving around?
This is something that you should try to incorporate throughout the school year. It is really hard to stay seated at a desk the entire day.  Some people need to move. Balance your activities between active and non-active. If the students have been sitting writing for 40 minutes follow it with an oral activity or a game with moving. It is okay to go outside for a walk.  Again, this will depend on the age of the students and how well you know their names.  

Expectations /Rules for classroom management

It is better to have the students articulate what they need to work best and how they can be successful, then saying it’s my way or the highway.  Believe me, I tried that once and it was not a happy situation for me. 

Washroom Routines 

Let students know how to sign in and out of the class. Older students generally sign a list with the time. Younger students may use a peg system, or place something on their desk to indicate that they are out of the room.  This is handy when your class gets busy. It also supports the students who are apprehensive about asking if they can go to the washroom. The general rule is that only one student goes to the washroom at a time. When there are special circumstances, that rule many need to be changed. Dignity is the key. 


Listening 
This could be an active time using a four corners activity.  Follow with a discussion of what good listening looks like, feels like and sounds like. Write the information shared on an  Anchor chart that can be reviewed over time. 

Lining up 

Practice lining up and walking in the hallway.  This needs to be reviewed and practiced. There are several videos shared on Youtube that can help you with this.  Some teachers have a line leader and a caboose. Children with autism like to know ahead of time how and when transitions are going to happen so make sure that this information is shared with the class. Do not, I repeat, do not centre out the autistic student and state, “ We are doing this for you because you are autistic.” 

Plan for the day

Another strategy to help with transitions is a general agenda for the day.  You do not have to write everything, but have titles like, reading, writing, lunch, recess etc. They sell these at Dollar Tree. 

How do you feel about?

Throughout the week, I assign surveys to find out how students feel about reading, math, and what type of jobs they like to do in the classroom. I have them complete a math diagnostic assessment and let them play with the math manipulatives. The reason I give them time to play with the manipulatives is to help them understand that during math lessons the manipulatives will be used in a specific manner. 

Dwelling on the Past Year

Some students enter the classroom with past experiences that hurt them. They may have been bullied or treated in an unfair manner.  This can also apply to teachers. I use a large pasta jar and I get the students to write about something that happened in the past that bothered them.  If they have nothing to share, then I ask them to share something positive. They then have fun ripping up the paper and shoving it into the pasta jar.  The point is that the past is in the past. We are going to try to move forward. This can work wonders for students who have been fighting in previous years because moving forward means that they need to give everyone, including students who have hurt them a fresh start. Obviously, if new challenges happen they will be dealt with but previous situations will not be included in the discussion. 

Back to School Materials

I often gave bags with special items to every student on the first day of school.  This helps students who do not have any writing materials and lets them know they are welcome. 

Back to school Bags https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/87679523968300036/

Prepare yourself a lunch

The worst thing you can do is go to work on the first day without bringing a lunch.  You will be busy and you will need to take a break. I suggest that you include water breaks for everyone throughout the day.  This will also give your mouth rest…don’t talk too much. The worst thing you can do on the first day is talk so much that your class starts to hear Charlie Brown’s teacher. “ Rome wasn’t built in a day.” 

Finally, remember to talk with your teaching partners to find out how their day is going. Laugh and laugh some more. It helps with the stress. I’m sure there are other things that I have forgotten, which is why I recommend that you talk with your teaching partners. When all else fails, watch an inspirational video.

Inspirational Videos 

Kid President’s Pep Talk 

This link could help with your first art activity. 

The Dot 

Dr. Brene Brown… I love you

What Not to Do- Links 

If you watch these links, have a good laugh, but remember these are examples of bad teaching. 

School of Rock 

Ferris Bueller

Breakfast Club – Principal 

Curriculum Thoughts

A Recipe For Success = It’s Back To School Time

msdancingshoesLeave a comment

I love the Back to school cartoon with the simple use of speech bubbles about a person who doesn’t want to go back to school.  As the reader, we assume that the person convincing the individual to go back to school is a parent talking to their child. We soon realize that the person who doesn’t want to go back to school is in fact a teacher.  At some point in your career as a teacher, you may feel that way. Going back to work after having time to reflect, relax, and take care of oneself can be overwhelming and time consuming. If you assume that teachers just prance into the classroom on the first day to find everything sparkling and new, you would be sadly mistaken. Very often you arrive to a stack of desks in one corner of the room, even when you have left a detailed map of how you would like your furniture to be organized. Yes, it happens, so don’t tell me it doesn’t.  


How to Prepare for the School Year

So how does one begin to prepare for the school year? While there is no set procedures, the first step is to find out how many students you have in your class. If you are a returning staff, you may already have some of this information, but you should be aware that changes could have happened over the summer. When I switched from one school board to another, I was hired to teach grade 6, but when I arrived at the office in August, I was informed that I would be teaching grade 7. YIKES! What does this mean? Do not plan your entire year over the summer because changes happen. 

Work and share with other teachers

Once you know what grade you are teaching, and how many students are in your class, see if there is another teacher in the school teaching the same grade. It is wonderful to share resources and materials with other staff. Working like a ‘LONE WOLF” can leave you doing more work than necessary. Having said that, I once worked with a teacher who refused to share her ideas and materials with me.  This did not stop me from sharing with her. I shared my materials and information gathered at PD sessions and over time she began to see the benefits of sharing her materials. If there is no grade partner, talk with the school librarian. While they won’t have time to gather unit materials before the school year starts, once things are rolling you can ask for assistance and find out what is available in the school. 


Setting up your classroom 
Your philosophy of teaching will help you decide how to best organize the desks, materials, and overall feel for the classroom. Some teachers choose a theme for the year, which should be age appropriate.  The key point is that everything doesn’t have to look pristine before the students arrive. At the same time, the first week of school can be very exhausting and particularly challenging when you have a family. So you may want to get as much work done ahead of the first day so you can go home at the end of the day at a reasonable hour. 

Desks
You can arrange your desks into rows, pairs, groups, or blocks. I generally created groups of 4 and allowed children to sit where they wanted on the first day.  This gave me the opportunity to observe the group dynamics and see who worked well together. Some students will quickly learn that they love being with their friends during recess, but find it hard to concentrate when they sit with them in class. The other important issue to consider are the needs of identified students.  Do they prefer to work with a certain student, in isolation, or do they need more space? Plan ahead, call the family or meet with them to find out what works best. By being proactive, you are helping to decrease their anxiety and creating a safe learning environment for everyone. The key factor with classroom organization is flexibility. Furniture can be moved for space.  The older the students are, the more furniture can easily be moved from one location to another. 


Technology
Think about your style of teaching. Do you use technology? Where are the electrical outlets?  Can you plug in an LCD projector so that it is not a tripping hazard? Which boards do you plan to use to display work? If you are a primary teacher, do you have a carpeted area with an easel or a Smart Board for teaching? Are there laptop carts? How do you sign it out? Do students have their own technology?  Where will it be safely stored and charged? Make a plan and discuss how it will be distributed before it is used. I suggest that you regulate technology by designating 2-3 student volunteers to hand out and store materials. Students are great at this job. You will have to check in to make sure that they are doing a good job, but I found that students who volunteered for the job, wanted to do a good job. 

Books and Resources
When I was in my first year of teaching, I was fortunate to have a classroom that was half the size of a gym.  I was teaching grade 1, so I had a great time organizing the room into quadrants. There was a writing section, reading section, science section, building section, house section, block section, game section, and teaching section.  It was wonderful. The challenge was that I had limited resources and few books. I borrowed books from the school library. I went to lots of garage sales to buy used manipulatives and books. Today, you have the benefit of Dollar Stores and Dollar Tree.  You have resources like Teacher Pay Teacher and the internet in general. However, before you pay, ask yourself several times if you really need it. Will it be used consistently? If not, then keep your money in your pocket. Teachers are very giving, but sometimes you can find yourself spending too much of your hard earned money.  This is why it is great to share materials with other teachers. 

Organize your books

If you have a diverse set of books, it is important to organize them for your students.  Be careful that you do not focus too much on the different levels of books. As a teacher, you need to know the different levels, but children can focus too much on levels, which can end up making some students feel negatively about their abilities. Books are meant to be enjoyable. I had lots of non-fiction books with pull out sections.  Pop up books, even for older students. Maps, flyers, magazines and many reference materials. My favourite read aloud books were kept behind my desk, so I could access them when I needed them. Once I had read them to the students, they were placed in a basket for the class to read when they had silent reading time. If you have a large class, consider using books online to share for read aloud. ( Make sure that your preview them ahead of time). This will make it easier for everyone to see and hear the story. 

This link is a great way to organize books by genres. 

Click to access genre_sheet_all_on_one_page.pdf

Organize your math manipulatives

I labelled all of my math manipulatives according to the math strand they would be used for. I also stored student samples from previous years which could be referenced when needed. If you have no manipulatives, find out where they are kept in the school, and how they can be signed out. You will need to plan ahead, so that you do not end up in a situation where you can’t find the materials needed for your lesson. 

Bulletin Boards

Bulletin Boards can be left until the students arrive, as some students like to feel included in planning the classroom theme.  If you have younger students, I recommend that you either cover the bulletin boards with paper or paint them, when you are permitted, ahead of time.  You better ask permission if you plan to paint them. Some teachers can get carried away with the notion that the classroom belongs to them and that it is their space to create as they please.  While there is some truth to this belief, your administrator can and may ask you to remove materials. Generally, that will only happen when it is a fire hazard, but there are times when administrators go out of their way to be difficult. Just saying. Ultimately, I suggest that you stay flexible. 

School Records 

Once your classroom is looking more like a room for learning, it is time to look at student records. Many teachers prefer to do this later in the year. I like to do it ahead of time, so that I know the needs of the students. I see if they are on a waiting list for testing. Then I look at their learning skills to see if they are doing their best work. The last thing I review are the teacher comments.  By reading and documenting this information ahead of time, I often found that I could avoid challenges that had occurred in previous years. While this didn’t always provide me with a successful year, I did my best. My friend, ultimately, that is all you can do. Just do your best. Good luck and have fun learning together. 

Curriculum Thoughts

In Your Eyes

msdancingshoes1 Comment

Have you ever encountered someone who seemed to dislike you without knowing you? Your mind races to think whether you have met them before. You then think maybe you have something on your face, or perhaps you are wearing clothes that they feel are inappropriate?  You cannot put your finger on the issue, but you have a strong sense that this individual hates you. The next thing you may try to do is ask them questions like,” Have we met before.?” You try to be pleasant and in return they are either rude or say nothing. I experienced this several times in my life, but one experience really opened my eyes to the dark historical past of Residential Schools.

It is a beautiful fall day in 1992.  I have met several parents at the school where I work.  This school is in an inner city neighbourhood. The children often come to school hungry.  I love working with these children and I continue to learn about circumstances in their life that I have never had to deal with in my life. 50% of the children attending this school are aboriginal.  The interviews with the parents and caregivers have been insightful and at times difficult. To be blunt, some of the parents need help themselves, but as I think this in my head, I feel that it is not my rightful place to judge. I have not lived their life and they have taken the time to show up for the interview, so I chase the negative thoughts away.  I will continue to focus on what can be achieved for these children, rather than feel hopeless. As the next student arrives, they introduce me and tell me that their grandmother wants to meet me. I smile and put out my hand as a gesture to shake and welcome them, but they look at their shoes and sit down on the chair where we are meeting.

I begin to say,“ You must be very proud of your granddaughter because she works very hard and does her best all of the time. She is also very talented at sharing during class.”

I continue to share positive information and ask if she has any questions. Her grandmother looks at me in the eyes and asks me,

“ Do you know anything about Residential schools?”

I apologize and say,

“ I know that they were horrible, but to be very honest, my knowledge is limited.”

At this point in time, she begins to share her life and some of the terrible things that happened at the Residential school she attended.  I am flustered and uncomfortable with the situation, but continue to listen. Some of the information is unspeakable criminal acts.

Suddenly, I realize why she looks at me like she hates me.  I represent the monsters who tragically destroyed her family life. I represent the physical and emotional abuse experienced by her and by her family. The Aboriginal community had no way to escape this horror. I manage to hold back my tears because I do not want to upset my student.  She is noticeably uncomfortable with how her grandmother is talking to me, but she is respectful and remains quiet. As she finishes talking I manage to find my own voice and state,

“Thank you for sharing this information with me. I understand that I cannot take away these wrongs and make them right. I really want you to know that I care deeply about educating children with understanding and support.  I’m not perfect, I will make mistakes and when I do I will apologize and correct them. If your granddaughter ever comes home and shares information that you question, please feel free to come and talk with me.”

She nods her head to let me know that she heard me and appears less upset with me.

Her glare of hate gradually changed and she accepted me as her granddaughters teacher. I continued to read and learn about Canada’s historical transgressions. My eyes were opened to a history that I needed to know and understand. As the year progressed, she started to volunteer in the classroom and we baked some yummy food together for the children in the class.

What is the Lesson?

1. You do not know everything.

2. Never judge a book by its cover.

3, The only person you can control is yourself and how you respond to the behaviour of other people.

4. Keep learning.

5. Educate yourself about your country.  Here are a few of Canada’s past mistakes:

Residential Schools, Japanese Internment Camps, Chinese Head Tax, Africville,Home children, Mistreatment of Irish and Italian workers on Welland Canal. Louis Riel and the Red River Rebellion.

6. Keep trying to connect, sometimes it doesn’t happen the first time.

Curriculum Thoughts

Chances Are…

msdancingshoesLeave a comment 
If you are a teacher, chances are: 
You have worried about how you are going to motivate a student in your class.
You have tried a variety of strategies to motivate this student. 
Chances are, you will eventually be successful.
Chances are, you have had to ask another teacher to watch your class
while you run to the washroom.
You have watched another teacher’s class
while they ran to the washroom.
Chances are, you wish you had a washroom in your classroom. Maybe not.
Chances are, you have picked up a hot drink during recess
and the hot drink is now sitting on your desk getting cold.
You have reheated the drink several times.
Chances are, you either end up throwing it out, or drinking it cold.
Chances are, you have counted down the days to the holidays.
You get sick on the holidays and spend most of the days in your bed.
Chances are, you need another holiday.
Chances are, you have had a parent tear a strip off of you
for something you didn’t do.
The parent has never apologized for tearing a strip off of you
for something you didn’t do.
Chances are, you make sure you never act like that parent
when you meet with your own child’s teacher.

Chances are, you have given your lunch to a child who is hungry.
You have bought supplies and materials with your own money.
Chances are, you pray that Dollarama never goes out of business.
Chances are, you have had to call the Children’s Aid Society.
You worry that you may be jumping to conclusions.
The child’s life may change in a positive way because of your call.
You wish that you could adopt some of the children that you teach.
Chances are, some of you will adopt .
Chances are, you have wished that a certain student would be absent,
just for one day. Just one day.
Your wish has never come true.
Chances are, you take a day off.
Chances are, your own child is sick so you take time off
You spend 2 hours preparing your daybook for the supply teacher.
The supply teacher doesn’t follow your plans.
You are up all night long with your sick child,
but this time your spouse will stay home with them.
You go to work with 1 hour of sleep.
You get sick and you should stay home in bed.
Chances are, you go to work when you are sick
because you need to keep your sick days
in case your child gets sick again.
Chances are, you have neck and back pain from writing report cards.
You have carpal tunnel syndrome from writing report cards.
You think report cards are irrelevant.
Chances are, you hate writing report cards.
Chances are, at a social gathering, someone has said,
“ Oh you are a teacher, it must be nice having your summers off.”
You have lied and told people that you work for IBM
so that you do not have to hear teacher stories.
You have avoided going to a mall near your school.
Chances are, your spouse thinks you are a Rock Star
because everywhere you go, former students say, “Hi Mrs.__________”
or “ Hi Mr. ________.” 
Chances are, you have prayed for an Educational Assistant.
You do not know how you could survive without their help.
You sometimes feel like your Educational Assistant
is more qualified than you.
You are frustrated that the government is threatening
to take them out of the classroom.
Chances are, you need to rally for Educational Assistants.
Chances are, you have been hit, kicked, or punched by a student.
You have had materials stolen by a student.
You have had materials broken by a student.
You have been sworn at by a student.
You have sat in a meeting with the parents
and principal regarding these issues
and in some cases there have been no ramifications for the student. 
Chances are, you now have a list of twenty steps that you need to try. 
Chances are, you have lost sleep over an issue at work.
You have heard someone say, "You should try working 9-5.” 
You try to explain to the individual that you work
longer hours than the actual school day.
They will never understand this unless they try your job for a day.
You have a long list of To Do Jobs 
and your brain is always thinking about the next task you have to do for your job.
Chances are, this list will continue to grow.
Chances are, you have heard negative news reports on the tv about teachers.
You have told yourself to ignore the comments.
You have watched a movie portraying teachers
and you have thought, "That would never happen.” 
Chances are you are misjudged by society.
This isn’t the 1950’s people, so we do not teach like it is the 1950’s.
We do not teach like it is the 1980’s.
Chances are, you have wished you could go away on vacation.
You have wished that you could pick your holiday times
and just go away like people who do not work in the field do.
Yes, you are jealous.
You have gone away during March Break and the resort was jam packed.
You have gone away during March Break and the return flight has been delayed.
This plane delay has caused you tremendous anxiety
and now you need another vacation.
Chances are, you have gone directly from the airport to the school to teach. 

Chances are, you have made special wishes.
You have wished that you could give to the children
and families who really need financial help. 
You have given them a pot of gold.
You have given them an education. 
That can never be taken away. 
Chances are, you have taught many children new information.
You have taught children who were difficult to connect with,
but you did connect with them.
You have taught children to believe in themselves
and to keep trying even when things seem impossible.
Chances are, you continue to learn things just like your students.
Chances are, you have received gifts.
You have received gifts of caring and love just for doing your job.
You have given lots of gifts to students to show you care. 
You love your job and all of its challenges.
Chances are, you are a teacher.
Curriculum Thoughts

The Music of Staff Meetings

msdancingshoesLeave a comment

It is the end of the school day.  Your morning began with active discussions and group work related to an ongoing project.  You coached a school team during recess and or lunch. Spent 20 minutes to eat your lunch and to talk with friends in the staff room. The time seems to have gone quickly as the bell rings and the students are dismissed.  Phew! Right? There are no after school activities today so you can get to marking those assignments that have been collecting cobwebs on your shelf. Suddenly, you hear a P.A. announcement.

“Good afternoon staff. Our  meeting will commence in the library in 10 minutes.  Please remember to bring your technology and work samples.”

This announcement generally creates a certain amount of emotions, comments, and a flurry of activity.  Some people grabbing their work, others saying what work samples? Some laughing and making comments which I will not repeat. Some grabbing their survivor bag, aka knitting, book, cellphone. Some mysteriously disappearing out the door. But you, the conscientious, ambitious one, head to the library and fall into line as professionals in the field of teaching do.  You participate, listen, and hope for the best. No eye rolling is permitted.

How Many?

If my calculations are correct I have attended more than 279 staff meetings.  In fact, I know that it is well over 558 because I was very keen to support the school community.  Staff meetings are a mixture of productive progress leading to positive changes for all. Or they can be hours of drivel and boring banter repeated by staff who love to hear themself talk. Oh dear, that sounds harsh.  Seriously, I appreciate all of my former colleagues,even the ones who love to talk. As I mentioned, some teachers brought their knitting and would actively knit and participate throughout the meeting. I was impressed by their gift. Some teachers surreptitiously found ways to work on their report cards, planning and social networking during meetings. Artists in the group doodled. My meeting go to was a gift I have always used, particularly during stressful moments. I used my internal radio.

Motivated By Music

I have always been emotionally motivated by music. I remember driving my sister crazy humming the classical music from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet while she washed her car.  Okay, I’m weird, but this musical memory helped me deal with the different events throughout my career. If you worked with me, you probably did not know that music that was constantly playing in my head. For example; When a parent is talking with you and you feel that it sounds disrespectful. Give Aretha a call and start thinking RESPECT, or the Stones, Get Off of My Cloud. If a student has said or done something that leaves you in disbelief think of EMF- Unbelievable. It can be very entertaining and calm you down at the same time. However, you must not, I repeat, must not, start singing Respect, or Get off of My Cloud to the parents and students. If by chance you forget, tell them you are planning to audition for the Voice.

Productive Staff meetings

Some people may say that there is no such thing as a productive meeting because we just continue to do the same old same old.  If you believe this, then you are incorrect. In my experience, there have been many changes in education. Change can happen quickly when it is helpful for both students and teachers. If you want to determine how the meeting went, answer this question. Are the staff standing in the parking lot complaining with each other? If they are complaining, then you will have your work cut out for you.  If they are thinking of Pharrell Williams – Happy,Bruno Mars-Uptown Funk, or Out Kast – Hey Ya! Then your message has positively been received.

Autocratic Administrators

There was a time when I worked with an autocratic administrator. While I respect the fact that they were doing their job, I sometimes found myself thinking of these songs: Star Wars – The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme),Dream On – Aerosmith, House of the Rising Sun – The Animals, Dream Weaver = Gary Wright, Depending on the tone of their words the volume of the song would be louder or softer in my head. Naturally, when they were transferred I wished them well and then I played Queens, Another one bites the dust.

Confusion and Disbelief

School Improvement Plan Meetings introduced new acronyms and educational jargon which occasionally gelled with the previous plan.  But there were times I left the meeting feeling frustrated and confused. When this happened I would resort to singing or thinking Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On? When a shortsighted initiative or comment was shared, the Del Vikings would sing Come Go With Me. The song starts out with rhythmic lyrics, “Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb dumb, dumbie, doobie, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb dumb, dumbie, doobie, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb dumb, dumbie, doobie, dumb, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.” I could even sing it and people would just think I’m singing a song.  They may think I’m off my rocker, but I just released my stress and they have no knowledge of the fact that I think their concept is DUMB! In a situation where I believe the person is lying to me, Shaggy is singing, “ It wasn’t me.” On days when I’ve absolutely had enough my go to songs are Evanescence-Bring Me to Life and Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

EQAO

In October, we generally have meetings to share our EQAO results from the previous school year.  The purpose is to envision how we can improve and help our students get better results. As I taught both grade 3 and grade 6, at different times of course, I had the pleasure of implementing the test at different schools and with different students. Before the EQAO test, my brain would sometimes hear,Queen & David Bowie singing Under Pressure, sometimes it was just the chorus. Some students would have me thinking of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer or Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. On the last day of testing I often played Europe’s Final Countdown to motivate them and they often cheered with delight.

Strikes

My musical brain helped me cope with bureaucratic strikes and union battles. Throughout my 31 years there was a protest in Hamilton to fight Rae days, a 2 week strike to fight the Common Sense Revolution, and a one day walk out to fight the McGuinty government.   At one union meeting, they actually played a different version of Twisted Sister – We’re Not Gonna Take it! My personal strike go to songs were Sugarloaf-Don’t Call Us,We’ll Call you and Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me.

What’s the Message?

Staff meetings are next to impossible to avoid. Although I have seen some staff who rarely attend meetings.  How they get away with it, I do not know.

Teaching can be stressful, but it can also inspire you to create.  Maybe you will knit a sweater,plan your dinner, plan a social event via inconspicuous texting, Kudo’s to you if you can get away with it.

Remember, when all else fails you can try my musical brain technique. Start with Bob Marley’s Don’t Worry about a Thing, or Somewhere over the Rainbow – Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole.

Always remember to smile because tomorrow will be better.

Curriculum Thoughts

Ring , Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring,!

msdancingshoes1 Comment

Since I have named my blog Recipes From the Classroom, I thought I would write a procedural piece to represent how most lessons run on a daily basis.

Goal

To provide a lesson to educate the students and meet the set grade expectations.

Materials

Lesson plan,whiteboard, whiteboard markers, paper, laptops, pencils, erasers, coffee, LCD projector, computer, Smart Board, kitchen sink, hands-on materials,textbooks, brains, an understanding of what the students know and next steps, 10 million other things are possible, but the most important material is patience.

Method

Step 1. Share the expectations for the lesson. This can be done in many different ways, but it is always a good idea to let the students know what you are focusing on.

Step 2. Begin the lesson with questions, or “ The Hook” to get their attention.

Step 3. Share information.  This can be done in many different ways. It does not have to be teacher directed.

Step 4. Provide some follow up work.

Step 5. Circulate or provide further assistance.

Step 6. If everything has been accomplished in your lesson you are one of the few lucky teachers. Just kidding.

Results

Review the work completed to consider how successful your lesson was.  There may be some students who need additional support. Congratulations! That is a wonderful lesson.


This seems pretty straight forward, right?  You have the lesson, you teach the lesson, and the students take the information and process it according to their needs. Right?  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. What has not been factored into this lovely procedure is life itself. Life brings interruptions, bodily functions, emotions, social media, outside influences amongst other things.  Some of these things are really easy to manage while others can be quite frustrating, annoying and the reason teachers need two months to recover. ( Anecdote, some teachers work during those two months…preparing for the new school year)

One school located in Scarborough, had a phone system throughout the school. Teachers could call the office, other teachers and with the secret phone number to make an announcement for the entire school community. Ooooooh, doesn’t that sound exciting,? At several staff meetings we requested the office to limit the number of interruptions via phone calls to classes, but our message was not well received. As a result, a number of my lessons with my grade 1 and 2 class ended up looking like the Lucille Ball and the chocolate factory video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkQ58I53mjk

Wish Me Luck Lesson

Goal Pray that the phone does not ring so that I can educate the students and meet the set grade expectations.

Materials Make sure you use everything listed above, plus all the patience you can possibly muster.

Method

Step 1 Gain students attention using a variety of strategies that are fun and active.  Students are finally settled, Begin to tell them what we are going to do. The phone rings. (Ring, ring)

Step 2 Walk to the phone,….mutter, mutter, mutter  like Yosemite Sam, but remember to answer politely, “ Please let Johnny know that he has to go home with his brother.” answer politely even though I’m thinking that they could have shared this message at morning recess.   Some students are now rolling around on the carpet. Tom and Caitlynn( made up names) are now hitting each other and someone has written on the wall with a marker) talk to these students about what has happened and ask them to go sit at their desks for a time out.  Deal with the marker on the wall after the lesson. Walk back to the carpet area.

Step 1 Gain students attention using a variety of strategies that are fun and active.  Students are finally settled. Begin to tell them what we are going to do. Start to read a story related to the topic. The phone rings. ( Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring)

Step 2 Walk to the phone, answer politely, “ Could you please send Talia and Sasha to the office?” Reply politely, try to keep my face calm as some children are watching me. Other children are wrestling on the floor. Someone is now at the door.  It is a grade 8 student with a note from another teacher. Take the note, read it, respond to the note, hand it back to the student. Walk back to the carpet area.

Step 1 Gain students attention using a variety of strategies that are fun and active.  Students are finally settled. Begin to tell them what we are going to do. Start to read a story related to the topic. Students are listening and laughing about the book.  Animate voice to make it really interesting. A student puts up their hand and asks if they can go to the washroom. Nod to let them know that is fine. Continue to the read the story.

Step 2 Ask the students questions related to the story.  Some students put up their hand to answer. Choose a student. This student does not answer the question, he says,” Johnny just put up his middle finger at me.  Johnny says, “I did not!” You calmly tell them that it is not polite and make a note to talk with both students later. You repeat the question. This time a student answers and shares a personal story that does not really relate to the question.  Someone knocks at the door. The door monitor (student )goes to the door to answer. The phone rings. Ring, ring, ring, Ring, ring, ring… You have decided you are not answering the phone. Johnny puts his hand up. “ Are you going to answer the phone?” You sigh and state, “ I think it can probably wait.” Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring. You make a mental note to teach a student, although they are young to answer the phone and take messages. Yeah, I’m not so sure that will work with grade 1 and 2 aged students. The phone finally stops ringing. Oh yeah, who is at the door?  Hi, Ms. all the grade 1 students have to go to the library to see the dental technician. They leave.

Step 1 Grade 2 students look at you and say, “Can we play on the computers? The phone rings. Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring… What is your response?  “ That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Suddenly, there is a school wide announcement being made by an intelligent student who has figured out the secret code to make a school wide announcement. Everyone, including you in a sly quiet manner, are laughing about the fact that a student has said, “ School is cancelled.” over the P.A.

Step 2,3,4,5 Try again tomorrow.

Results

Go home after work and eat chocolates to pay homage to Lucille Ball, exercise, and search the internet to find out how to mute the phone.

In the 21st century, there are more distractions: cell phones,parents calling,parents who manage to bypass the principal and want a full interview during class dismissal, walkie talkies, and many other wonderful events that happen throughout the school day. Phew!  I really can not believe that I did this job for 31 years. I have to go, the phone is ringing 🙂

Curriculum Thoughts

Oh My!

msdancingshoes2 Comments

Before the students come walking into the school, or sometimes towards the end of the school day. You hear the announcement over the P.A. What is the announcement? You will have to guess.  At other times you see a colleague walking around with a worried expression on their face, or in some cases you can hear them muttering swear words. That would likely be me. They walk into the photocopy room and begin to rifle through the mess on shelves, looking under things and then walk out of the room.  You may continue to see them walking around the building like that or hear a glorious shout of “ I found them!” from another room. It can be scary, annoying and embarrassing when this happens, but it happens. So if you haven’t figure it out by now the announcement is about someone who has misplaced their keys.

Tricks to keep your keys

1. Do not lock anything and never use a key.  Not a good idea if you work in an area where theft is prevalent.

2. Hang them on a hook by your desk. This hook may be empty especially when you have put your keys down somewhere and you can not remember where you put them.  

3. Lanyard. You can hang your identification, keys, and photocopy scan cards on a lanyard. However it can get heavy around your neck. Your neck may get tense and then you take your lanyard off and you put your keys down somewhere.  A teacher or a student asks you a question, you wander away and do 20 other jobs and then you realize that you have once again misplaced your keys.

4. The clapper. This may help, but people may assume that you are the new music teacher because you keep clapping everywhere you go. Your new hit song is clap, clap where are my keys, clap, clap I’ve lost my keys.

5. Hockey stick. Attach your keys to  a hockey stick. However you will lose this too.  And it will seem like a big mistake because your keys are attached to a hockey stick.

6. Dollar store rubber coil. Works most of the time, but when you go to the washroom, do not leave it on.  GROSS!

7. Inside a zipper in your shoe. Maybe, but make sure you wear the same pair of shoes everyday.

8. Fanny pack.   Yup, the picture does not do you justice.

All kidding aside, I had a scary experience with keys when I was supply teaching at a Intermediate school in Scarborough.  The student population was just grade 7 and 8 students. When I was supplying I often got called for the intermediate grades as some supply teachers refused to accept these calls.  I knew I could handle the age group, so I was always willing to take the call.

Supply Teacher

When you arrive at a school to supply teach, you enter the office, and talk with the secretary about who you are and why you are there.  They give you a set of keys, and then they share information such as where the staff room and washroom is located. Sometimes you get the day plan handed to you on the spot, and sometimes it’s on the desk. After this, you walk to the class and look at your schedule for the day. I place the keys on the desk and review priorities for the morning. It looks like the focus for instruction is the War of 1812. What has been left for the lesson is a hard copy textbook and a set of questions. I spend the time before the students enter the room to read over the section they will be reading.  I look at the questions and make sure that I know the answers. I have not really thought about the keys. I am naive.

Do Not Do This

The bell rings, the students enter. Some dramatically, some pushing and shoving, some with their hair covering their face like they do not want to exist, and some laughing with glee because they have a SUPPLY TEACHER! Whoot, whoot. Yeah! ….whatever.  “ Good morning everyone, I’m your sacrificial lamb for the day, please try to be nice,and I promise I won’t call Rambo.” Of course, I never said that. The morning continues and I am trying to make a boring, yes I said boring, lesson cough, cough, interesting.  I know if I was in this class, I would have asked to go to the washroom because it’s a horrible lesson. I have circulated the room to see if anyone needs help. Some students are not doing their work, so I encourage them to get some of it done. I walk back to the desk and as I’m glancing at things, I notice that the keys are missing.  I have to give myself credit because I did not let my facial expressions give me away. In my head I am thinking several swear words and help, help, help, awwwwwww! I sit at the desk and write on a sticky note, but I’m not really writing anything. I am aware that some students know what has happened so I am putting on a show. The timeline for what happens next is unclear, but I think it was probably 20 minutes to 45 minutes.  I stand up and say,

“ I do not know how it has happened, but somehow the keys have gone missing from the desk. “

( liar, liar, pants on fire!) You know very well that Wile E Coyote has taken them. Now who is Wile E?

“ If any of you know, I would really, really, appreciate it if you return them to the desk, then I will not have to report to the office that someone stole the keys. The cops, will not come, your parents, will not be called, and I will be so happy that you returned them in a kind manner. I know that all of you are kind and thoughtful.”

Then I sat down and I continued to pretend that I was writing.   I got up walked around pretended I was looking at kids work. I looked out the window, I prayed that my words would work. I prayed some more. I prayed once again.  Okay, you get it. I noticed a few kids walking around talking and then I wrote something on the board about the next lesson. When I returned to the desk a beam of light was shining on the keys that were back on the desk.  More words in my head, this time not swearing. I pick up the keys and smile at a number of students who are looking at me with a curious glint in their eyes. The period comes to an end, the bell rings, the students gather their belongings and start to walk out of the room, I say thank you to everyone as they leave. Fortunately, the next thing on the timetable is a spare, so I run to the washroom and use the key to open the door.  Did I cry with relief in the bathroom? Maybe, but I’m just thankful it turned out that way, because I do not know what I would have said to the principal if the keys had not been returned. Yes, that would be a great thing to add to my resume.

Lesson

What is the lesson?  You are going to misplace your keys at some point in time in your career. Some of the most intelligent teachers I know,  I’m not talking about myself, have lost their keys multiple times. Second point, kindness goes a long way. BE KIND. You can criticize me and ask why I was so naive and my response would be because I am. Well, maybe not anymore.

Curriculum Thoughts

Hello, Can You Hear Me?

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Do You Hear What I Hear?

Repeat after me, “ My pearls of wisdom will be heard by few.”  I can hear you right now. You are not creating engaging lessons, and you must inspire the students…. Believe me, I spent a great deal of planning and discussion with other teachers to find creative measures to inspire my class. I think I was successful some of the time, but I’m not deluded to think that every child I taught learned everything that was shared. One colleague I worked with was cocky enough to say that they only teach things once.  If the students do not get it than it’s their own fault. You would not believe it if I told you that this individual taught special education, but they did. Let’s just say, do not follow this example. You will have to repeat lessons multiple times, not to the whole class, but there are some students who will need to practice questions with you and make lots of mistakes until they feel confident to do the work on their own. Sometimes, you will have to calmly ask a student to stay in for help and let them have a few friends join in to help keep it positive.

Participation

One year there was a student in my class who would raise their hand for every question. That’s great, right? Well, in this case the student would always answer with the wrong answer.  It got to the point where I was directly asking other students who were not participating for an answer. They would say, “ I didn’t have my hand up, but HandRaiser did.” I would say something like, “ I know, but I would like to give other people a chance to answer.” It was painful to consider the number of times I had to say, “That’s an interesting answer or you are on the right track, but not quite.”  They seemed okay with the fact that they answered incorrectly. I give them credit because I rarely raised my hand when I was in school even when I knew the answer. When I was in grade 8, I used to mutter the answers during science lessons. A student near me could hear what I was saying, then they would raise their hand and get the correct answers. So my perception of HandRaiser was good because I thought they were very brave. I hope HandRaiser continues to share answers, I just hope that some of them are correct.

1492

When I was teaching a unit about Explorers I shared the quote, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” I told the class that this would be the first question on the test.  At the beginning of every lesson, I would repeat the quote. It got to the point that the students were groaning, “ We know, we know, please stop.” Okay, maybe it was not that bad, but they had the quote burned into their brain. Or so I thought. On the day of the test, one student answered the question: When did Columbus sail the ocean blue?  Answer: 1985. The school year was 1998. As I was marking the tests at my desk and the students were not in the building, I sat at my desk and I laughed and cried at the same time. In my head I was thinking, yes, it was 1985 and we all went to meet them on the beach and we had a lovely tea party. Reflecting on this, I’m sure there are times when we zone out. Huh, what did you say?  Was it something about deflecting? Perhaps daydreaming about dinner. My brain has always been motivated by food.. Special note to administrators for meetings, feed your staff.

What is the Lesson?

My take away point, HEY, LISTEN ! Do not assume that students are listening to everything that you are saying.  You can make lessons active, technological, artistic, hands on, collaborative, investigative, musical, and comical, to name only a few, but ultimately, if they have other things racing through their mind or they are anxious they will not get everything correct. And that is what we call learning.  Mistakes are suppose to happen. That’s right! I said, make mistakes. I did not ask you if you want to eat steak. I like mine welldone .