Finishing up the Final Draft

Today was the last day that my LA students had to work on the final drafts of their papers. As they finished, I went around and had a "mini writing conference" with each of them like I used to in the Writing Center at GSU: one of us read the paper out loud, while we stopped to make changes to punctuation or word choice. We also discussed why we made those changes. This was a focus on the lower-order concerns of a paper. The higher-order concerns (organization, thesis statements, transitions and topic sentences, citations...) were already addressed in the students' outlines and rough drafts. So, once I came around and read a student's paper one last time on the computer screen, he or she had to print a final copy to turn in as part of the research packet due tomorrow.

In the research packet, the students must include:

1. KWL (complete the "L" first)
2. All of the articles/websites used in essay
3. Notecards
4. Outline
5. Both rough drafts
6. Final draft
7. Works cited page

From what I've seen, most of them will be ready to turn in everything tomorrow! There will be a few behind, but I am so proud that most of them were able to keep up. I should do something special for them on Tuesday when we get back from Labor Day. I want them to know that they should be proud of themselves for completing such a big assignment, and that they shouldn't just do assignments to make their teachers happy.

Next week, my LA students will be working on their presentations of their research projects. We'll have some extra time, so I really would like to teach them how to present professionally. In other workds, teach them how to prepare note cards, practice their presentation so they don't have to read their note cards, and then present the information to the audience while keeping eye contact. For most students, a presentation is just reading the information from the PPT slides. I want to try to teach them to be better than that.

For my LDC students, today was Speaking Day, and they did some exercises so I could hear each student's pronunciation of different words and letters. I have some lists of minimal pairs (eat-it, neat-knit, beat-bit, etc.) that each pair of students practiced reading out loud to each other. They were able to ask me or each other how a word or words are pronounced. Then, each student stood in front of class and read their list of minimal pairs aloud. As they read, I made notes next to the words that were mispronounced.

After that, we went over the worksheet they completed yesterday on present perfect tense. I have all of their names written on popsicle sticks, and I chose a student at random. That student had to read aloud the next question and answer on the worksheet. If he or she got the answer wrong, I asked for volunteers to help. The students made corrections to their worksheets as we went through each question. Today in LDC IV, the students spoke and heard ONLY English for about 70% of the period. That is a good day. About 1/2 the class is Korean, and the other 1/2 is Hispanic, so as soon as they get the chance, they revert back to their native language (L1) to speak to each other. It's extremely hard to prevent this. I've not yet become as hard as some teachers who write their students up every time they say a word in their L1. Sometimes, teachers will deduct points from students daily grades for speaking in their L1. ...I'm just not that kind of teacher. I think there must be a better way. I think, if I give them activities and assignments that make them use English while they enjoy doing the work, that would be much more effective than punishing them for using their L1.

Putting It All Together

I told my language arts students on Monday how proud I am of them for working so hard on these research projects. I was flying high all weekend because most of them are up to date with all of the checkpoints in the process. I know that there are a combination of factors that are attributing to their success, but I really do think that doing this project at the beginning of the school year rather than the end has had a huge effect. Their minds aren't yet fatigued, I'm still energetic enough to bounce around and help each student, and we all still have patience enough to work through lapses in comprehension rather than just give up.

After I told them how pround I am of them, I also told them that THIS is the most difficult part: putting together the research with their own ideas to create an essay. If they give it a few days of hard work and focus, though, it will be over soon enough. This seemed to take off some of the pressure that overwhelmed them.

I read through their rough drafts Monday night, and many of them are still having problems with citing their sources. Either they cited nothing at all, or they did it incorrectly. I was careful to edit as much as I could to help them correct these mistakes (and others). I also showed them some examples on the board, and gave them a handout from our Media Center's website that shows correct MLA in-text citations. More of them seemed to understand after receiving the information in three more ways.

During class on Tuesday, I handed back the students' rough drafts (bleeding red from all of the comments I'd made), and instructed them to write a second rough draft, using my comments and corrections as a guide. I told them to go slowly--sentence by sentence--to make sure they corrected everything and made all necessary changes. This gave them the opportunity to improve and revise their work and ask me questions if needed. I used to hand back the rough draft, and say "OK, now use your rough draft and my comments to type your final draft." I found, however, that students often got hung up on making their corrections on their final draft. It was too much pressure or they knew they were almost done and didn't care as much...I don't know exactly. I do know that having them hand write their second rough draft made it a much more meaningful exercise to them. They were focused on improving, and that's what I wanted for them.

Today, Wednesday, we were in the computer lab so the students could type their final drafts. I'd already given them my example essay on teen dropouts in correct MLA format, so I told them to look at that to set up the format of their own papers. Most of them needed help with the header and double spacing, but then their fingers were flying around on the keyboards, typing their final drafts.

I am also practicing writing with my LDC IV students. I've introduced them to chunck paragraph writing, and it is going well! The first time was rough. Most of them didn't quite get it. Yesterday was much better, though! They turned in very nice paragraphs in response to two topics I gave them which were related to the chapters we'd read on Monday from Tuck Everlasting. Today is grammar day for them, and tomorrow is speaking day. I really would like to find some speaking activities that helps improve their pronunciation. I have a couple of Korean boys, and a couple of Hispanic girls who still don't pronounce their English words very well. I want to find some verbal exercises they could do here and at home to strengthen their pronunciation...sort of a Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle experiment. :)

Quote of the Day (Tuesday):
"S____, these paragraphs are awesome!"
"Thanks, Miss! Remember when I first wrote a paragraph for you and you said that it was horrible?"
"I didn't say 'horrible.'"
"You did! See?" (She shows me her paper with my red letters: "This is horrible!")
"...Oh."
"It's OK, Miss. I'd rather my teacher tells me my writing is horrible than to keep being dumb. Now I'm getting better!"

Quote of the Day (Wednesday):
A____ asked me: "Ms. Greene, if I type 'this situation damaged their reputation,' how do I spell reputation?"
I began, "R-"
"Oh wait," he said excitedly, "I just remembered how inside of my own brain. Thanks anyway."

Lack of Concentration

For my literature classes, we were back in the trailer after being in the computer lab for the past 2-3 days of class. The students had the following instructions:

1. Read and highlight articles (since most of read better from paper than a computer screen.)
2. Make last-minute additions to note cards
3. Begin filling in essay outline template

I understand, for ESOL students, it is difficult to read 5-10 pages of information on a topic that you're only just beginning to undestand. However, many of the students spent a lot of their time chatting. Some of them were actually talking about the research, but most of the conversations were off topic. The majority of students were doing what they were supposed to be doing. Those who were talking off topic, though, really grated on my nerves. I did my best to remind them that tomorrow is a checkpoint day: their notecards and highlighted articles are due. If they are missing something...I'm sorry. You get the grade that your efforts deserve. Some of the students did start on their outlines, and that is great!

During my LDC IV class, I introduced the concept of a chunk paragraph. Basically, you respond to a topic with one paragraph containing a topic sentence, concrete detail, commentary, and a concluding sentence. It's a body paragraph, really. However, it gives the assignment more focus, so the students have the opportunity to practice adding more details in their paragraphs. They are going to write a chunk a week...every Tuesday is writing day for them anyway. So, we'll write a chunk that is somehow related to our reading on the previous Monday.

Everyone seemed really tired today. I felt worn down. The kids had very little focus. I think it has something to do with the weather cooling down a bit. I hope things don't feel so chaotic tomorrow.

Researching in the 21st Century

Every year, for the first 4 years of teaching, I had to assign a research project to my students at the end of 2nd semester. It was kind of a right of passage. The students had practiced essay writing throughout the year, so they had to use their writing skills AND their new-found MLA format skills. In my opinion, this is just way too much for an end of the year activity. The kids are burned out, the teachers are burned out, and no one can concentrate on a task for more than 5 minutes.

Well, this year, I'm turning the tables. I started my JR LA and SOPH LA classes on their research projects right away (as I've explained in previous posts). At first, I was determined to have them do their bibliographies, note cards, and works cited pages by hand so they HAD TO learn MLA format. They'll probably have to identify things like "proper punctuation for the title of a novel in an MLA citation" on a Benchmark or other standardized test. However, most of my students are writing WAY below grade level, so I'm having to teach them basic essay format almost from scratch. (Some of them think that one sentence that stretches for 6 lines on a piece of paper counts as a paragraph!)

To cut down on the paperwork, while keeping my high expectations for their learning, I enlisted the help of our Media Center specialist and her new toy called Noodle Tools. http://www.noodletools.com/
This program is awesome! As the students do their article/website research through our Media Center databases, they can use Noodle Tools Bibliography to create a working bibliography online (by inputing author, title, publication, etc. information into 'fill in' boxes), then print a Works Cited page that is already in correct MLA format with indentions, italics, quotations, etc.

Furthermore, each source has a link to a blank Noodle Tool Note Card that the students fill in with the appropriate information plus any direct quotes they'd like to use or paraphrases they come up with. The program keeps the cards organized for them in a workspace, then prints them all neatly for the student when he or she is ready.

My students went to the computer lab for 3 days during my class (the first day was 1/2 orientation to the databases and Noodle Tools), and they've accomplished more in those 3 days than I have been able to do in a week with past classes who had to do everything by hand. Most of them have found their 2-3 sources, created and printed a bibliography, and created and printed note cards for each source. All of that in 3 days!

Tomorrow, I want them to take one more look at each source and highlight information that would be useful in their essay. Then, I want them to use their KWL, articles, and note cards to start outlining their essay. I've come up with an outline template that walks them through the different parts of an essay. Hopefully, that will cut down on questions like, "Ms. Greene, where does the thesis statement go?"

BTW: I forgot to mention last Friday that I gave the students 2 more ways to remember the proper format of an essay. For the visual learners, I drew a burger on the board, and explained that a good essay is like a good burger...it has a top bun (introduction), the insides to keep things interesting (body), and a bottom bun (conclusion). Without the stuff in the middle, it's not very interesting, and not very appealing. Without the bun, everything falls apart.
Then, for my kinesthetic learners, I gave small groups/pairs an essay that had been cut apart into hook, background info, thesis, 3 topic sentences, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The students had to reassemble the essay using what they already knew about essay format and clues from the topic sentences. Both of these worked very well!

Starting that Research Project

The past couple of days have been sort of a review over basic essay format. I know that some students are, unfortunately, hearing much of this for the first time. I'm trying to take it slow, but there is just so much time that I can spend on teaching BASIC essay format (intro w/ thesis, body paragraps w/ topic sentences, conclusion). It is my job to start them on MLA format and persuasive writing.

My students have all signed up for a teen issue that they would like to research. These issues are directly related to the summer reading books, so they should theoretically have some background knowledge about the topic (although, relistically, most did not do their reading). They did not have to do the reading to be able to do this project, though, so there is no excuse for full participation and completion! Their projects are worth 300 points and will consist of:
KWL (10)
Participation in Writing Centers (20)
Reading and highlighting articles (10)
Source Note Cards (30)
Outline (20)
Rough Draft (40)
Final Draft (100)
Group Planning (20)
Group Presentation and Note Cards (50)

So, today, I passed out a pack of papers that included: 3 articles, 1 essay, 1 works cited page, and 1 note card. I stayed late last night to do research, write my own original essay, create my works cited page, and create a sample note card. I passed out clean copies of my originals that were highlighted and notated. Then, I separated the students into small groups of 3 or 4. Each group received on of my original documents and had to highlight and make notes on their papers exactly as they appeared on my originals. These notes were things that labled the thesis, topic sentences, paraphrased citations, direct quote citations, etc. It also provided some hints about how to format essays (double space, header with page number). The groups made their marks, then passed the document to the next group, and so on.

Thus, the students have tangibly created models and reminders of what I expect from their own research documents. I told them to refer to these documents before asking me questions so I don't have to answer 22 times: "Ms. Greene, do we need a title for our essay?" The students put these documents into their classroom folders which will stay in my trailer.

I'm wondering if I'm overloading them with information to start. I guess repetition is good...they'll hear it once now, hear it again later, hear it again during their research and writing, and hopefully it will take effect. I tend to want to wait to give them the info until they actually need it, but how will they remember it if they only hear it once?

Tomorrow, we're meeting in the computer lab for the students to have an introduction to the databases they'll use for their research, and to Noodle Tools, which will help them stay organized through this process.

Friday, First Week

Friday sort of sneaked up on me. I am still trying to find my groove at school, trying to get into a routine. Thursday afternoon, I looked at my day planner for the first time since Monday and thought, "Wow! Tomorrow's already Friday! I still have so much to do...." Oh, dear me.

Class on Friday was a great day. I passed out the overview sheet and daily schedule of events for the students' research project. They were not as scared of the fact that this project would take them five weeks to complete as I thought they'd be. I guess seeing it all laid out and knowing what to expect was a great comfort to them. Mostly, they just wanted to know what the topics were so they could sign up for their top pick.

The research topics were all related to the summer reading books, but they are also real-world issues that affect teenagers in our schools; things like: teen pregnancy, teen smoking, homelessness, drug addiction, domestic violence, bullying, eating disorders, alcoholism, etc. The students were really excited about signing up for their topic of choice! There were some fights about who would get what (I had a lot of students interested in domestic violence and eating disorders), but it was all resolved by one or two students gracefully choosing one of the other topics to research.

After they chose their topics and read the overview sheet, I asked the students to do a KWL organizer to start brainstorming ideas on which to focus their research. In a KWL organizer, there are 3 columns into which the students categorize what they KNOW about the topic, what they WANT to know about the topic, and what they've LEARNED about the topic. Thus, the last column would be filled out only after they've done their research. This is a great way to get their brains to start churning up ideas!

These few activities took up the whole class period. The students really put a lot of thought into their KWL's, so I told them to hang on to them over the weekend, and if they thought of anything else to add, add it. Then, I'd take them up on Monday. A lot of them were excited to continue thinking about their topics over the weekend!

On Monday and Tuesday, I plan on sharing an example article with the students, and practicing brainstorming and outlining with the students on a topic like teen dropouts. That way, they have a model on how to start organizing their original ideas with information from their sources.

For this weekend, however, I need to grade their summer reading essays, create and plan handouts and activities for next week, and figure out what to do with my LDC IV class, since I have absolutely no resources or materials for it.

Quote of the Day:
"Miss, how do you spell 'kindda'? It's k-i-n-d-d-a, right?"
"No.... First of all, it's two words. Secondly, you spell it k-i-n-d space o-f."
"REALLY?!"
"...yes."