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November 29, 2005

On My Honor and Tech Testing

We are about to complete the novel, On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer. I have been reading it aloud in class and quiet often during our reading the students have personal anecdotes that coincide with the story. I am always amazed at how much seventh graders enjoy being read to. Many of them are visual and auditory and as they read along with me, they seem to really appreciate the story. The dead silence during the high stress moments gives me a sense to which they become involved with the story and you should hear the moans and pleas to “read one more chapter.” A teacher writes this novel for young adults and the accompanying portfolio of activities have helped to reinforce the messages from the story. I hope you have heard something about Tony and Joel over these last two weeks. Also know that each student will be able to take the AR test for this novel and earn points towards their personal goal.

Technology testing is going well for our eighth graders. It is a tremendous amount of work and all I can say is how fortunate our students are to have Ms. Worrells, Mrs. Sauls, Mrs. Munoz, and Mrs. Harper sacrificing so much so (without fanfare) to help our kids have a good experience on this test. We can only test ten kids at a time and when we are testing we must pretty much shut down all other network traffic. It is a harsh sacrifice, but it allows our kids to test without being kicked off numerous times (some schools in Wayne County report as many as 6-8 boots per student) as is happening at other schools. Personally I appreciate the sacrifice our teachers are making to make sure our eighth graders have every opportunity to be successful on this exam. I also appreciate how my students are behaving themselves while the sixth grade teachers split up covering my social studies classes this week while I am testing in the lab. Good behavior and maturity is always rewarded well.

Posted by hlperson at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)

November 18, 2005

National Boards Certified Teacher

I received some GREAT NEWS today and I wanted to share it with everyone that reads the blog. I found out today that I passed my National Boards and am now a Nationally Certified teacher.

I owe a great deal of thanks to the students I have had for the last two years. You guys were a GREAT BIG part of me being able to pursue my Boards and to my passing them. You encouragement and support and your willingness to work a little harder for me gave me the determination to be successful. Thank you!

Those kids that are sophomores might remember our Jewish Life Photo Project and our Holocaust Book Project(1 & 2) from eighth grade. I have showcased those projects to teachers all over Wayne County and to future teachers across the state. The ninth graders might recall our studies on the Civil Rights Movement (1 & 2). So many of you told me when Rosa Parks passed away recently how you knew about her and the struggle for equality and that makes me know that our efforts were successful. I will continue highlighting the products you guys created as I speak to groups across North Carolina in the effort to allow many other students the chance to participate in academic programs that allow them to take ownership of their learning.

Posted by hlperson at 12:25 PM | Comments (4)

November 17, 2005

Congratulations are in Order

Four of the Buccaneers played for the Little Falcon team that just happened to win the Championship Game. Congratulations to these young men on their great accomplishment. I know that Coach Jernigan is ready for you guys to add to Norwayne’s team next year and the coaches at CB Aycock are looking forward to your continued growth. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication to be the best at anything so we celebrate these successes.

Yesterday we took a test on Chapter 4 of our Vocabulary Workshop series utilizing our eInstruction system. It makes things so much easier for me not to have to grade 60 papers (times 50 questions each is a lot of grading) and its so much more fun for the kids. From their comments and their elevated energy levels, I know that eInstruction is making a difference at NMS.

We read the first two chapters of the On My Honor book and I think the reception was extremely positive. Lots of stories were shared about friends who are more like Tony (wild, crazy and more adventurous) and Joel (conservative, calm, and rational). The kids discussed which parent was more protective and which one was easier to get what they wanted from. I love to read with students when they identify with the characters and the story. Ask some leading questions that force them to step out of the “Fine” and “Ok” answers. The kids have so much to share.

Posted by hlperson at 11:31 AM | Comments (1)

November 14, 2005

Great American Smoke Out

The next couple of weeks will be crammed full and hectic. Holiday interruptions always cause a stir and we have so much to get through. We have an Early Dismissal Day this Wednesday (Nov 16) and next Tuesday (Nov 22), then a couple of days off for Thanksgiving (Nov 23-25). We are beginning a novel that I hope will assist the students in not only meeting their individual AR goals, but also teach a strong moral. On My Honor is an exceptional young adult novel by Marion Dane Bauer. I have used this set with my students for all of my ten years in teaching and have never had a dissatisfied group. I look forward to blogging about our conversations in class with your children.

The “Great American Smoke Out” is always the third Thursday in November. Many of the students discussed speaking with their parents about attempting the Smoke Out. I am always dismayed at the number of young people who try smoking even though they have been bombarded with anti-smoking messages and information. Take a minute and speak with them about their thoughts and ideas on smoking.

If you have not seen your child reading at home, you might want to ask why not. As part of our Language Arts grade they should be reading for at least 20 minutes every night. This will also assist them in meeting their AR Goal for this nine weeks, which is 25% of their nine weeks average. Between the Reading Log grades for the 20 minutes and the AR goal, this reading will drastically improve their average - not to mention their reading skills.

Posted by hlperson at 09:35 AM | Comments (5)

November 04, 2005

Dewey-O's

Today we had a high number of students absent. Many of our kids were involved in a Youth Retreat in Charlotte and some were out on family adventures.

In Language Arts we used our eInstruction program to play a Challenge game utilizing the words from our first three Vocabulary Units. This was a huge success. I have been using eInstruction in class for about three years and have never been able to get the Challenge component to work properly. I coordinated a staff development earlier in the semester and finally figured it out. Needless to say the kids LOVED it and we had a great time.

My homeroom was invited to try out a game Mrs. Nichols is developing to teach students how to better use the Dewey Decimal System this afternoon. We were the first group to try it out and the kids really enjoyed the activity. I feel like they might have learned a great deal also. To be asked to participate in something like this is an honor and a testimony to how well behaved the kids can be. Special thanks to Mrs. Nichols and her assistants for sharing with us!

I close today wishing everyone a very enjoyable weekend. For some Monday is a day of reckoning as Report Cards will be going home. Others in my classes are already planning exactly how they are going to be spending all of their hard earned wealth from doing so well academically.

Posted by hlperson at 04:13 PM | Comments (2)

November 01, 2005

Vocabulary Review

We are beginning our first Vocabulary Review today and it has been a little bit difficult for some of the students. We take all the words from the three units, that is a total 60 words, and do a review. It really reinforces the students’ knowledge from the first three units with the goal being the students take ownership of the vocabulary and use it regularly and correctly themselves. Already students are recognizing the words in their AR books, on Channel One and in their lives. Knowing truly is half the battle.

Social Studies finds us doing an introductory video from our Media Center on ancient Egypt. I believe the students thought it was a break for them from our normal workload. Boy are they surprised! Each block of social studies, that is one and a half hours, finds us making it through about 20 minutes of the video. I am a BIG believer in stopping and talking about exciting items from the video. It was difficult for the kids at first, but they are adjusting well. They find themselves busy taking notes, asking questions, and discussing the material collaboratively as a class. I find myself flipping the projector between the video, Google Earth, and supplemental materials I have accumulated over the last couple of years. And I feel we all find ourselves thoroughly immersed in the curriculum. Ask them what they are learning, what they enjoy, and what they would change - I do all the time.

Posted by hlperson at 05:05 PM | Comments (1)