Grouping Students: Purposeful & Random

There are many instances when my students are placed in groups to work on a particular task.  Sometimes those groups need to be purposeful in terms of students' needs; sometimes those groups can be random.  For the random groups, I sometimes use a Group Selection Picker created using Excel Formulas.  The program randomizes students into groups of 4 for me.  However, sometimes I want the students to be in random (or not so random groups), and then I want them to join a second group in a way that ensures they will be will all different students in the second group.  My Excel randomizer does not do that.  So, sometimes I use these cards:



Students receive a card with a number, a letter, and a sticker on it.  They get together with people who have the same number, letter, or sticker--depending on the type of group I want them to have.  This allows me to do a few things:


1.  I can make purposeful groups for the first round.  For example, I can place all students struggling with a particular concept in the "A" group.  Students struggling with a different concept can all be in the "B" group, and so on.

2.  I also have the ability to make sure they meet with a wider variety of people throughout the class time.  If they first meet with all of the "A's," and then they meet with all of the "1's," I know that they are seeing any of the same people in their second group.


It's a simple form of jigsawing, but it's one that I use often.  I'd love to hear if you create groups in a different way--especially if you use technology to do so.  Share your ideas and methods with me at englishschmitt@gmail.com !

Back to School (and all its glory!)

I've been meaning to post since school has started, but I have not yet carved out the time.  However, I did want to share with you some of the efforts of my students' current learning and work.  Junior Honors students have been studying Transcendentalism and literature associated with this era (think: Emerson and Thoreau).  But they have also taken time to consider how these ideas are still present in today's society.  In doing so, they created poems that were reflective of:

1.  The style of another Transcendental poet
2.  Transcendental ideals


Here is a brief selection of their creations:

I don’t want to be you

I only want to be me

So what if I have attitude

Your influence too strong, I have to flee

They say the best cure is solitude

So off I go to find myself

To the wonderful world of loneliness

To find out what I’m all about

To find myself my own new route

I see it now so clear as day

What I am and where I’ll stay

To be who I am, is all I want

To create myself, my own font

Sometimes all i need

When i'm feeling kinda down

Is to let my brain feed

On the trees that are nice and brown

All alone in the forest

No one to be seen

There is no room for tourists

I don't want to be mean

Do what you want

Or else it will haunt

Don't let your memes

Be your dreams

The endless Chase is draining

Miles ahead of me and slowly fading

Overtime the Gap is slowly decreasing

This long Pursuit is not yet pleasing

Grinding and Pushing to the end

Traveling with just me and my friend

Overtime the Gap is slowly decreasing

This long Pursuit is not yet pleasing

So many obstacles forming all around Me

Distractions Stopping me from what I should be

Overtime the gap is slowly decreasing

This long Pursuit is not yet pleasing

I go through every day

With my own struggles

But sometimes I think I should say

That I should change

Instead of staying inside

I should explore nature

Take more bike rides

And enjoy solitude

Sometimes I think I’m glued to my phone

Indeed it is true

It’s not too late to atone

And enjoy the world

Alone, attuning myself with nature,

Suddenly I happen upon an astral being:

A projection of myself.

I asked him to teach me,

But he already had.

Do you recognize any of these poets?  Any thoughts on their messages and the language they used to achieve them?

Playing Along

At times throughout the year, I will read aloud to my students.  Yes, Junior Honors English students need to be read to, too.  It's good for them to hear the rhythm and voices of a skilled reader.  I also find that reading aloud to students gets them more interested in reading in general.  Around prom time, I usually read Jean Shepherd's Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and other Disasters out loud to my students.  It's a silly story, and we have fun with it.  The goal for the reading varies depending on the group in front of me.  This time around we focused on: part to whole.  How do parts of the story (setting, characterization, literary devices) help support the overall message of the story.  I read all parts of the story out loud--except for one.  There is a part at the dance when the band playing (ah...a time before DJs played bump and grind music) features the "band's romantic vocalist" who also doubles as the drummer.  I always request a student volunteer to read the parts where he sings.  It's fun to see the personalities of the classes come out.  I can usually predict which classes are going to need a bit more coaxing to get a volunteer.  This year, I got an volunteer, but he would only do it with a pal--a backup singer, if you will.

Here they are, prepping to "moo," as the text requires them to do:

As you can see, one of our warblers is not too thrilled at the prospect of being filmed/photographed during his singing--but they rose to the occasion.  Thanks for playing along, gents.  And for showing that reading is more fun the more you get into it.

#ReadingChampions

When a student in our class has finished reading a book on his/her own, the student shares a brief synopsis and review of the book with everyone.  Then, he is awarded a Reading Champion Ribbon to tack up on the wall--and we add to our book count.  We are working really hard to reach the 100 mark before the end of the year.  C'mon, readers!  Let's finish strong!

Book review in progress:


Ribbons and book count in background of photo.

Bulletin board title: Readers are Leaders

Lit Circles with Student Choice, Autonomy, & Control

As we approach the end the school year, and engage in our final unit of study, students are in groups, reading a novel they selected (from a provided list).  This spring, the student options are: The Secret Life of Bees, The Things They Carried, and The Road.  Students rated the books after listening to a book talk on each, indicating their level of interest.  Based on their responses, I placed them in groups (as best I could) with their top choices.

Students prepare analyses of what they've read based on a teacher-created schedule; however, students determine how much they read for each scheduled day.  I try to give them as much autonomy as possible, but for this final unit, I selected the topics they would discuss (characterization, setting, syntax, structure, etc) so that they could be best prepared for the final exam.

Here they are discussing their novels on their first collaborative discussion day:

   

Just Being in a Different Space....

There is something about simply being in a different space that will help spark something new in us.  No matter whether that is on a vacation, or  through changing the furniture design in our living rooms, or taking a class to a new and different space, we are bound to have a new experience just by occupying different space.  So was the case when this semester's students ventured to see La La Land at our local theatre, The Catlow (www.thecatlow.com).

After all, it's far more fun to watch a film on the BIG screen rather than on our little big screen in the classroom.  And there's just something about being in that space that brings the best out of some students.  Being in this larger space, out of school hours, allowed us to mix and blend our classes.

Here's what I loved most about this experience:

1.  There are 3 different film teachers at our high school, so I loved collaborating with them--and best of all, our students got to mingle with students from the other classes.

2.  We film teachers don't all use the exact same films in our courses, so it was fun to see them discuss the films they were watching, make recommendations, complain about Citizen Kane still being considered "The Greatest Film of All Time," etc.

3.  Students who don't always participate in class came out of their shells and shared great ideas about La La Land.  There's just something about being in a new space that can be so refreshing and rewarding.


My first shot, sans flash:
   

The second one--that blinded them.  Oops.

Coaching Our Writers with Student Samples

Upon returning essays, I always take time to discuss with my students overall what they did well and what we can improve upon.  After we review those successes and areas for improvement, I will read aloud an essay that was particularly good.  I want them to hear good writing--writing that seems as though it was meant to be read out loud.  And then, we will discuss what stood out to them about the essay.  Typically, I read one entire essay.  However, sometimes I choose excerpts from multiple essays.  When I do that, I try to provide visuals for them (as the image below) that include my comments.  I'll explain my comments and what I thought the writer had done well.  I also always try to give students the opportunity to share what they thought was good.   It is also important to me to stress to my students that the writing need not be perfect.  We just focus on our specific goals (writing with fluidity, supporting a central claim, using precise language, etc) and discuss how the writer is working to achieve that goal.  The excerpt below is from a student essay in our Critical Studies in Literature and Film class.  The essay was produced in class, and it focuses on developing an argument that addresses whether or not Citizen Kane should be considered the Greatest Film of All Time.


About my notes above:

1.  I wrote the smiley face because I liked that the student was addressing a dual idea: 1) that scene draws a viewer in; 2) a tacit implication that he was wishing for more
2.  I LOVE the phrase "visual summary."  It is so precise and to the point--and addresses exactly that moment in the film.
3.  I also marked "to churn the fire" because I thought it was a slight nod to the surprise ending of the film.

I use these notes to discuss with the students what I loved about their writing.  I think the more positive things I have to say and the more excitement I show about their writing--the more likely they are to be energized to keep developing & growing themselves as writers.