Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

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Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.   A popular American wedding ritual. No, I'm not planning a wedding or have any invitations to attend one anytime soon.

Like many teachers, summer is a time to catch up on the 3 R's - relax, reflect and read.  Old, new, borrowed and blue describes my summer reading selections.  As I laid out my books and considered writing about my summer reading plans, I realized I had old books, new books, borrowed books and blue books.  Hence the inspiration for the title. Some of them are for professional development, and some are purely recreational, but they are all of great interest, and I look forward to reading them.

Below is a brief description of each book, as well as a little background on how each made my list.

SOMETHING OLD:

A few months ago I stopped at a used bookstore in Sparta, NC and found these two bargains at the $1 table. Legal drama is my genre of choice, and back in the 90s, I binged on John Grisham's novels as their popularity peaked. However, I never read either one of these two books nor did I watch the movies, so these were quite the deal and a great addition to my library.

The Chamber  - Like many of his novels, this story is set in the south and features a young lawyer. The defendant in this story is a former Klansman and unrepentant racist on death row for a fatal bombing in the 1960s. After many lessons on the Civil Rights Movement, I'm intrigued by this realistic fictional story.

The Client -  Also, a legal thriller involving secrets, the mob, and a young lawyer.  It appears to be similar to some of the Grisham's other works and full of suspense.  I'm sure they will keep me at the end of my seat (or my pool chair).

SOMETHING NEW:  
At the end of July, I'm excited to have the opportunity to offer a 3-day digital tools training for ESL Teachers at NCDPI's ELL Support Conference in Greensboro,  NC.  I will be reading these two new books in preparation for the training as each of the training participants will receive a copy of these books, courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Ditch That Textbook -  After subscribing to Matt Miller's newsletter and following him on Twitter, I knew I needed to share this book with the session attendees. Many thanks to Matt Miller for my treasured review copy so I can be well prepared for the session. This book not only provides ideas on technology integration, but it's mostly about adopting a more progressive instructional approach to engage and captivate 21st-century learners.

50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom - Along with #DitchBook, this book will provide a valuable resource to session attendees. Whether a Google novice or a veteran, there's a wealth of tips and techniques on making the most of Google tools.  As I prepare for my session, I'll be planning new tools to implement for the next school year.  Many thanks to Dave Burgess Consulting for my review copy.

SOMETHING BORROWED:
Fair Isn't Always Equal - I was very close to buying this a few months ago but thought I would first ask one of our school's media specialists if it was available to check out from the professional reading collection. Although it was not, she agreed to order it and let me borrow it for the summer.  After watching a few of Author Rick Wormeli's videos on YouTube, I am looking forward to digging into this great read on differentiated instruction.  This may actually make an interesting book study for next year.

Untangling the Web - Another resource for the digital tools training, this book will be provided to
ELL session participants as an e-book.  Much of the tech tools covered in the book I'm familiar with, but there are some interesting tools included in the book that I've never experimented with. I'm always on the lookout for something new to share with my students and fellow teachers, and I think this will give me some to new tools to spice up my lessons next year.

SOMETHING BLUE:
Girl In The Blue Coat - I picked up this book at my son's recent BOGO Free book fair.  Taking advantage of the freebie offer, I always look for something for me to read.  This story is set during World War II in Nazi-occupied Germany. No one has recommended it, but the Amazon reviews look pretty good, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Judge & Jury - This book has been on my bookshelf for a few years, but this summer I'm determined to get to more of my unread selections.  It's about a juror on trial against a notorious mob boss. I've never read any of this author's works although many of my friends rave about his legal thrillers, so I'm expecting to enjoy this blue oldie but goodie.

Whether on the beach, by the pool or on my couch at home, summer reading mentally transports me and helps to recharge my batteries. While many of these selections are professional reads, I anticipate there will be some inspiration from my old books and my blue books.  From new insights to new perspectives to new cool tools, summer reading helps me grow at my own pace and on my own terms.

Please share what you are reading this summer and how it has helped you (or will help you) grow professionally and personally.  I look forward to hearing from you.

#TheBestIsYetToCome 

Oh, For The Love of Reading

Image Credit: pixabay.com

Last weekend I had the distinct honor of attending ECET2 in San Diego, California.  ECET2 - Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teachers - is an annual convening of teacher leaders from across the United States sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

The event was beyond words and I will blog about it more extensively in a subsequent post; however, today I want to reflect on one of the most enriching moments of the convening - my colleague circle time.  

At ECET2, colleague circles are groups of teachers that meet together to discuss problems of practice.  We each have an opportunity to confidentially identify a problem we are grappling with and then we consense on one issue to focus in on.  By no means was this a whining session.- quite the contrary. The objective was to think creatively and find solutions that can be carried back to the classroom.

Our circle chose to focus on rekindling the love of reading. After the adoption of a reading program, one elementary school teacher shared that she fears the constant reading of informational text passages, skills-based instruction, and multiple choice questions (in an effort to prepare for state-mandated testing) is leaving no room for reading pleasure. Together we pondered and discussed the issue; most of us expressing the same concern in our classrooms as this is happening in virtually every school in America.

Reading comprehension is often assessed through answering multiple choice or short-answer questions about the main ideas of a passage.  While this may work well to prepare students for standardized testing, many teachers will argue that it kills the love of reading as it does not engage students in their own learning.  Furthermore, for readers who are not good test takers it may not accurately assess their skills.

Giving students freedom and choice in demonstrating understanding will get their creative juices flowing and allow for differentiation for readers with various learning styles, abilities and/or language proficiency levels.  Informational reading passages and questions that mirror state tests are undoubtedly of some value, but supplementing a student’s reading experience can not only provide us more data but also more deeply engage the learner.

Below are some methods I have used to successfully assess students’ comprehension:

• Poetry. Poems about the central idea or the main characters in a passage can tell a great deal about what they have assimilated.

• Readers’ Theatre Script Writing. Students retell the story in a way that can be expressed through two or more characters. This is generally a cooperative activity, but it can also be completed individually.

• 3-2-1 Summaries. Students write three things they learned, two things they found interesting and one thing they still do not understand or have a question about. While this is not super exciting, I have found this to be very effective with my ELLs.

• Writing Alternate Endings. Whether a fictional story or informational text, in rewriting an ending, conclusion or historical event, students will need to review central ideas and develop hypothetical and strategic thinking.

• Illustrations. Reading comprehension occurs only if there are pictures in our minds.  This is great for our visual learners, especially ELLs who have difficulty expressing their thoughts in writing. Illustrations can include drawing, paintings, cartoons or three-dimensional creations of what they are picturing after reading the text.

• Questions. Instead of answering questions, why not have the students craft the questions. We can assess how much a student has grasped by the type of questions posed. This will require higher order thinking skills and scaffolding may be necessary with some student populations. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it.  It can also be done with partners or in small groups.

• Debates. Reading about a controversial topic? Start a mini-debate.  From uniforms to capital punishment, getting students to list the pros and cons and then take a side will teach them new skills while increasing their comprehension.

During our colleague circle time,  I shared some of the ways I mentioned above and encouraged her to bring enjoyment into the activities by adding her own personality to the lessons. While I was not implying that she defy her administration's directive and drop the costly reading program, enhancing a reading passage - which perhaps could integrate nicely with another subject - may help better assess comprehension while making reading more enjoyable.

Sadly, in our pervasive testing culture, reading passages have become the norm in many classrooms. And while this may not be changing anytime soon, whenever possible we can enhance and spice up what's cooking already.  

Oh and for the love of reading, if you have other suggestions, opinions or methods that have proven to be beneficial to your learners, I invite you to share them in the comments below.

#BestYearEver

Pictures In Our Minds

Last week, I overheard two of my high school students as they commented that they hated to read, but yet they loved to read the Bible and they can't get enough of it. These two young ladies happen to be very committed Christians and are actively involved in their church, so I was not surprised to hear them say they were Bible readers.  However, their comment about their disliking reading really struck me and made me rethink my approach to reading instruction.

This comment is rather typical among English Language Learners.  Newcomers struggle with reading as their English proficiency is low and their vocabulary is limited.  However, most of my students are long-term ELLs, which means they have been in the program (and/or the country) more than seven years. The latter were labeled LEP (Limited English Proficient) often upon entering Kindergarten with little to no knowledge of English, and despite being fluent in social and instructional English, their academic language is still weak and thus are identified as such. This language deficiency causes them to be clearly overwhelmed by all the unknown words they are continually exposed to and naturally will be turned off to reading.  Add the short attention span of a typical teenager and you know reading is not likely to be on their list of hobbies and interests.  And this hostility toward reading is not solely an ELL issue, but it's actually an epidemic aggravated by the multimedia overload brought about by the Information Age.

Now let's be clear that I am certainly no foe of technology. Quite the contrary, I embrace it wholeheartedly and seamlessly integrate it into all areas of my curriculum.  There are days that my English language lessons strongly resemble my Business Education days.  I'm always teaching students about a new website or a new shortcut to a familiar tool.  Nevertheless, it is imperative for all students, ELLs or native speakers, to have strong reading skills. 

So back to the comment about reading.  As I reflect on the how to engage students in reading and instill in them a love of reading, I thought to myself, "what is reading anyways" and with that, I turned to dictionary.com. As I reviewed all seven definitions of the word reading, I was struck by the fact that the word "book" is never mentioned.  However, when we teach and/or assign reading, particularly in English Language Arts, it's usually book reading.  Likewise, when we think of liking (or disliking) reading, most of us think of books.  Interesting.  Next, I analyze the various definitions of the word and made the following observations for each one.

1. The action of a person who reads.  Most teens (and some adults) think of reading as a boring, passive activity when in fact it isn't, or at least it shouldn't be.
2. Speech, oral interpretation of written language. Speech is not silent, so why should reading be?
3. Interpretation of a dramatic part or musical composition.  Drama and music do indeed complement literacy, but the connection is seldom there.  Perhaps adding drama and/or music to reading time will spice up things.
4. The extent to which a person has read; literary knowledge.  Reading should not be about the amount of time per day or how quickly we read, but about the knowledge we soak up.  
5. Matter read. It's about substance, not skill.  In other words, "content". 
6. The form or version of a given passage.  This brings me to think about interpretation and application of what we read, not to mention how the reading selection impacts us.  It makes me think that perhaps if there's no impact, then it really is an exercise in futility.
7. An instance or occasion.  A moment in time.  When we are highly engaged in our selection, the world around us can crumble and it wouldn't even faze us.  We mentally travel with the content.

Bottom line, reading is not about a skill, but rather about an experience.  It's not about books, novels, literary elements or vocabulary. While those are all valuable as we progress in life, in order to create lifelong readers we need to generate a feeling.  In the words of the great Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".  How do we get students to love reading, we need them to be involved in their reading and "feel" the love.

I'd like to end by adding #8 to the list of definitions: "Creating pictures in our minds".  As I read with my students, I often ask, "what are you picturing in your minds?"  We all know that if a picture isn't playing, they are just looking at words and therefore, they aren't reading.  Which is perhaps why they dislike it.

Read on.....#BestYearEver

Inspiring Books

I will admit that I'm not an avid reader. It's not that I don't enjoy it- actually I find it very relaxing- but I'm a rather slow reader and I'm easily distracted (perhaps some undiagnosed ADHD). I usually wait until summertime to read for fun and/or inspiration. Otherwise, I'm so consumed by school that I don't focus and it will take forever to finish a book. Therefore, most of my reading consists of blog posts, journal articles, tweets and other material related to my profession. But today's prompt is not just about reading, it asks me to list a book I am thankful to have read and has inspired me to be better at what I do. I actually need to name two.

The first is New Kids in Town: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens. This is one I read last year with one of my students. I bought it from Amazon for $0.01 (yes, one penny-it's not a typo) plus $3.99 for shipping. A used book published in 1991-definitely an oldie but goodie. I bought it for insight, but turned out it was not only an eye-opener but also greatly inspiring. It tells stories of 11 immigrant teens, all from different backgrounds, but all came to America for the same reason: a better life. In my opinion, it's a must-read for any secondary level educator because these kids are everywhere.

Image source: Pixabay.com

The second is the good book - The Bible. I didn't grow up reading it and
didn't discover it until I was 18. It introduced me to my Creator and Savior and helped me find myself. Even though I've never read it cover-to-cover, I've read (and reread) a good portion of it. It has taught me to be loving and compassionate, to not fret or fear, to be content and grateful and most of all, to know that I have a hope and a future. Even though I don't teach from it or discuss it with students, this book inspires me to be the best teacher I can be.

While these two books are very different, both have made an impact on my teaching. Both inspire me to care for and respect my students for who they are. Both have taught me that no matter where they come from or what obstacles they face, they all have the potential for greatness. Both have taught me to be more compassionate and less stereotypical. I don't teach English as a Second Language, I teach students whose second language (or sometimes their third or fourth) happens to be English. I don't just teach, I inspire and these books have inspired me to inspire them.

#BestYearEver

The Sounds of Learning

The sound of student engagement is music to any teacher's ears, but more so to an ESL teacher and especially coming from a group of beginner English Language Learners.

We ended the Beginner ESL class on a great note today and much different than most Fridays. Customarily, Fridays are Show & Tell days for my High School Beginner ESL class.   It's the best part of the week. A time for them to practice oral presentation and listening skills and it's also a time for them to learn from each other.  For me, the best part is what I learn from them. Most of the presentations have some sort of a cultural twist where we tie in their culture to something we are learning.  For example, last week (9/26), students brought in currency from their native country and contrasted and compared their currency to U.S. currency, including the currency exchange rate.  We had been covering the Industrial Revolution at that point and currency related well with the economic growth that our country experienced during that time.  Students were so engaged that one student didn't get to present hers and they didn't even have time to write their reflection.  While they can certainly blog at home, these students still need some scaffolding and so I let them reflect in class. Needless to say, we had one presentation on Monday and they posted their reflection on their blogs. Show & Tell is an awesome time for the beginners, but this week there was lots going on at our school and schedules were a little crazy, so we decided to cancel Show & Tell.  At first, I regretted the decision but hoped that the planned activity would turn out as engaging and productive as S&T.

So, we worked on reading strategies.  I gave them pointers on how to improve their reading comprehension by "talking to the text" and doing "think alouds".  In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I selected a reading on Cesar Chavez, which went perfectly with the issues we covered on the Industrial Revolution.  We read on Thursday, covered essential vocabulary and I introduced the concept of symbol reading.  Today, I divided them up by native language and asked them to use the symbols as they read and discuss what they were reading and thinking. They were awesome and best of all, they had excellent comprehension.  They were free to speak in their native language as they "thought aloud", but later would be expected to share some of their notes with the entire class in English.  All the chatter, including the talk I didn't understand, was music to my ears and made my day.  

They talked to the text and talked to each other, producing beautiful sounds of learning.  The best is yet to come.

#BestYearEver