Crooked Letter Crooked Letter

There's no end to what Post-it Notes can do for you.   Why not let them help you teach children how to spell, if that's something that's on your to-do list?  

I'm sure she wasn't the first person to think of the idea, but Liz Sheffield has written a short  article about the simple process.

Chicken Soup

Ug.   Flu, cold, winter funk, general crankiness.   Whatever it is, chicken soup makes it better for many of us.   Here's my new favorite recipe.   It has some of the charm of Pho, but I don't have to drive for miles to pick it up.   I haven't had much luck growing my own cilantro, but Thai basil seems to love living here in the warmer months.   Don't forget the rooster sauce...especially if you are congested.

For some figurative chicken soup, listen to the latest King Biscuit Time radio show from Helena, AK.

Travel the World with the National Endowment for the Humanities

If you're a teacher, you're a lifelong learner with a insatiable curiosity about the world.   If you're a teacher, chances are you spend much of your "vacation" time working to afford your day job.   How are you going to finance the trips of your dreams?   Hooray for the National Endowment for the Humanities!  

Once again they have a list of fascinating summer offerings for teachers through their Landmarks of American History and Culture workshops.  

Application packets must be postmarked by March 1.   Please read the specific requirements for the seminar of your choice.   Scholars who complete the programs are eligible for a $1,200 stipend.   This should help put a dent in your travel expenses.   Recertification/ graduate credit can also be yours for a little extra cash.

Where am I trying to go?  To the most southern place on earth.   You better believe it!   Cleveland, Mississippi.   Go Fightin' Okra!   Will I get chosen to travel to the birthplace of the blues?   Haw, haw, haw, haw.   I sure hope so.  

If you have more time to spare this summer, explore the NEH's summer seminars.   Stipends are based on the length of the coursework, and the deadline for applications is also March 1.

Missing Pieces

Last year I saw my first classroom and my grandparents' home razed.   It's a curious feeling seeing bits of your life erased.   Currently, some of the former Page Middle School is awating the wrecking ball, but the lovely house and gardens where my father's family lived for so many years did not fare as well, or did it?

The left side of the property line that runs alongside a ditch.

Although neither of my paternal grandparents are still living, I enjoyed driving by their home every now and then and watching the seasons change.   Someone outside of the family bought the property and ran a business there for a bit.   Finances must have changed because the property now belongs to Dollar General.

Tractors atop the footprint of my grandparents' house.

At first I was saddened to think that a place with so much soul would turn into another link in a chain, but I grew excited as construction neared completion.   When the store opened, I took my camera and went for a visit.   I was charmed to find that there was an ice cream freezer, Doublemint gum and Mr. Goodbars a couple of steps inside the door...just like old times.   There were Christmas decorations and cold drinks, pajamas and pet food, something for everyone really.   Although the rosebush and hydrangeas were plowed under, a camellia and azaela stood along the property line.   And when spring comes, the irises will bloom along the ditch.  

Once again, I can stop by to visit a place that I still drift to in my dreams.   In my dreams, it's always summer.   The garden's ripe.   The garage is filled with records.   The kitchen is buzzing.   I am young, and I am old.   My grandparents are well.

The other good news is that I get to help Page move forward by serving on the design team.   We've met twice so far, and I am heartened to be able to help bring something functional and beautiful into the lives of so many.   What an architect we have on our side.   I'm looking forward to seeing this building emerge from the dirt too.

Blackout Poetry

If you have a newspaper and a black marker, you have some poems on your hands.   Just ask writer/artist Austin Kleon.   

Choose a spot in the newspaper, decide which words are getting in the way of your emerging poem and mark right through them with your black Sharpie.   Left behind are the lines of your new creation.   Magic!

In order to simplify this exercise for 8th graders, I added a couple of steps.   Students used pencils first to identify words to cover with their markers.   Also, I asked that they glue their chosen text into their journals before using the marker.   This was an effort to keep ink from bleeding onto the desktops.   Make sure they use gluesticks in their journals, not liquid, as the paper is delicate.

Some kids will also eliminate words until a news article is basically summarized.   The idea is for a transformation to take place.   You will want to show them samples to help writers' imaginations run free.   These creations could also make beautiful art for your classroom walls...

It looks like censorship, but it's a lot closer to upcycling. 

Feel Good Art



This is sideways because I can't figure out how to rotate the image in my Blog.
The photo is saved right side up!

 As a prelude to this art project, you will need to teach the difference between denotation and connotation.   It's also wise to have students scour a piece of writing for positive and negative connotations.    This is a good opportunity to split your white board into two areas and allow students to write their found words down on the positive or negative side before leading a whole class discussion.   There are some words that may fit on either side, depending on personal opionion.  

For independent practice, you can have your students focus on the positive.   Here's another way to use your mountain of magazines.   Hand out blank 3 x 5 notecards, glue sticks and scissors.   Students will cut out words from their magazines that they feel have personal positive connotations.   The goal is to completely cover one side of the notecard without any bits stretching over the borders.  

When your grade their work, set aside the best examples and mark them with a symbol on the other side of the notecard.   These are pieces that you would like donated back to you for classroom art.   (No pressure.)   Arrange the returned notecards to your satisfaction.   Glue them to another piece of paper that can be laminated.   Hang the community creation in a place where students are able to get close enough to view their work. 

Dry Erase Markers

You know what to do with dry erase markers, but I wanted to share a few ways I've found them to be helpful.  

If you have a window in your classroom door, it's a great place to leave a note if your class is being held in another location.   Are you in the library?   The computer lab?   Let your students and colleagues know.   As the library is in a classroom a couple of doors down and the computer lab is on a cart in my room, I haven't needed to use this idea this year.   That's perfect since I don't have a window in my door!

In my new classroom, I've been able to configure the furniture in a way that allows for groups on occasion.   I can write the students' names on the slick desktop, so they know where to sit.   By the end of class, most students have erased their names, and I can write the next set.   I have a cluster of six desks at the back of my room.   It's the perfect spot to differentiate for students in my inclusion class.   When six people have met their reading goals, I can provide time and space for them to play a quiet game of Bananagrams or Scrabble.  

If your desk allows for it, jotting a quick note on top saves paper and time.   Many of us write the note down, lose the note, find the note, lose it again and so on.   Okay, maybe I was just talking about myself.   (These reminders are best written with a fine tip marker.)

You could always write "Please send chocolate" backwards on a window that faces outside of your classroom and see what happens.