Finally getting around to sharing what I've been up to. What a school year!!
Here's what we are doing in our class in September. I'll upload my lesson plans to Google Drive and keep updating them there so check it out here.
gonoodle.com
K and 1st: Let's Listen
We started by reading Interrupting Chicken. Then we practiced our skills by learning the chicken dance on Go Noodle.
gonoodle.com
Then we talked about all the body parts it takes to listen (eyes, ears, body, brain, etc). We then met Howard B Wigglebottom who is also learning how to listen. After watching our story,
we practiced again by playing Freeze It on Go Noodle.
Sleeping before school starts is the worst! However, it does lead to some midnight lesson ideas.
I recently got this book, The Black Book of Colors.
"Living with the use of one's eyes can make imagining blindness difficult, but this innovative title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers. This extraordinary title gives young readers the ability to experience the world in a new way." (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3476560-the-black-book-of-colors?ac=1&from_search=true). About the same time my librarian texted me about introducing this amazing graphic novel, El Deafo. "Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school--in the hallway...in the teacher's lounge...in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it's just another way of feeling different... and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend? " (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20701984-el-deafo?ac=1&from_search=true)
And then my brain started going crazy!!
Icebreaker activity- Marshmallow Game:
1) Build a structure using marshmallows and toothpicks. Hide it somewhere where the students can't see. I use about 5 marshmallows and 4 toothpicks. You don't have to make it overly complex.
2) Break the students into teams. Each team needs to assign the following jobs (you can rename however you want):
Eyes- this will be the only person who can see the structure.
Ears- this person will listen to the "eyes" and relay the information to the "mouth".
Mouth- Listens to "ears" and shares information with the rest of the team.
Hands- the rest of the team who listen to the mouth and build the structure. If your class is too small you can just assign eyes, ears, hands.
* Deal breakers: I limit the time they have to assign each role. If they can't all agree their team is disqualified. Once you have decided you can't change jobs. Again, once you have a job you have to keep it or your job is disqualified.
3) How it works- (I will explain the role of each person and the game before we play.)
I will take the "eyes" to see the sculpture. Only they can see it and they can go back as many times as they want to see it. They can NOT touch it or move it. They must then describe what they see to the "ears". Then the the "ears" describe what they heard to the "mouth." I stress the importance of whispering so other teams can't hear you. Think of this like a game of telephone. The "mouth" then tells the "hands" what he/she heard. The "mouth" can NOT touch the materials. The "hands" are the builders who must recreate the sculpture.
4) I walk around to monitor the teams and the first team to recreate the sculpture wins.
*Deal breakers- if your team gets beyond a whisper you will be disqualified, using unkind words or being disrespectful will also get you out of the game.
5) Come together to process the game. Discuss what worked, what didn't, what team building skills they had to use, what team skills they would improve if they did it again, and most importantly how they used their senses to accomplish the job.
Trailer follow up discussion questions:
*What did they notice in the trailer?
*What are they wondering?
* What are the challenges the main character is facing?
* If you couldn't hear, what daily challenges would you face?
Today I meet with the Nashville PITTIE team to help brainstorm an upcoming PSA we are shooting about ending discrimination and the discrimination we face every day. We shared our stories and heartaches. I shared that last week I took my dog to Petsmart where a dog ran up to her and started playing. They were having fun and I started to talk to the doggies dad. After a few mintues he commented on how cute she was and then asked the dreaded question, "what kind of dog is she?" As soon as the words pit bull mix left my mouth he grabbed his dog and ran. Brooklyn looked devastated. I was heartbroken, her breed had cost her a friend.
When these things happen I want to scream, would you teach your child to discriminate? What would you do if you take your child to the park and soon see that your child has made a new friend? Would you allow them play, to form a friendship? What if you then found out that child was Jewish or Muslim? Would you grab your child and run?
As the team discussed what we can do to encourage tolerance in our community, a member Jill Foster (an amazing, heroic middle school counselor) whipped out her phone. She hit play and within a few moments I knew I was going to be in tears.
Here is the video she presented. I encourage you to watch it, discuss it, and share it!!!!
2013 Spread the Word to End the Word Hawkins Middle School Best Buddies
The Hawkins CDC teacher, TA's and students did an awesome job on this video and Jill and I are very proud of them!! Enjoy and spread the word to end the word!!! :-)
This post is rather personal, so sorry. Readers know I have a beloved Pitty mix, Brooklyn, the light of my life. Well today bills have been introduced in the Tennessee House and Senate that would regulate the ownership of and automatically label “pit bulls” as vicious dogs at the state level.
http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/pit-bull-facts-and-myths.htm For me the most interesting parts are the financial hardship this will bring to every resident, not just Pit owners. For the 12 states that have passed BSL legislation it costs about $250,000 per county annually to enforce. There have been 0 counties that have reduced dog bites after introducing these bills. That means our counties could potentially be wasting $250,000 a year! Why not put that money into education, hire more teachers, get more assistants, get better school lunches? Put that money where it matters! Visit http://blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/hb621sb865-would-regulate-pit-bulls-in-tennessee/ for a Fiscal Cost Calculator. Thanks for listening, considering, and writing.
Not really, but that's what today's lesson is about. Making snap judgements based on things we have read or have seen on the internet and using our eyes to judge people, instead of getting to know them.
This lesson has several activities and stopping points for discussion and I have done it with 3rd- 6th grade, but you could easily do it with middle school and yes I would do it with high school.
First, I like the students to have an open discussion so I remind them of our socratic seminar rules.
Then using the smart board I showed them this pup and asked:
I let the students openly share their judgements about the dog and have discussion about what they would do and think if they saw him at the park, etc.
Then I let them meet Jack Frost, the after of the dog above!
The game is very easy and fun, but best of all your teachers will love you because it ties in critical reading and thinking skills such as using schema and evidence to create an inference.
"Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.
1) Build a structure using marshmallows and toothpicks. Hide it somewhere where the students can't see. I use about 5 marshmallows and 4 toothpicks. You don't have to make it overly complex.
Mouth- Listens to "ears" and shares information with the rest of the team. 
Hands- the rest of the team who listen to the mouth and build the structure. If your class is too small you can just assign eyes, ears, hands. 
