tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73722445525884691812024-03-13T06:03:40.591-04:00Pomegranate beginningsMiriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-1384693317169051372023-01-17T09:47:00.001-05:002023-01-17T09:47:20.561-05:00Pomegranate Beginnings Update<p> Salvete!</p><p><br /></p><p>Pomegranate Beginnings is being archived as part of a new project headed by Bob Patrick and Miriam Patrick! Going forward we are now <b>Scroll and Grove</b>. Details are coming soon!</p><p><br /></p><p>We are undergoing some major updates and changes, so stay tuned for details, but this is the nearly last post you will see on this blog! </p><p>Coming soon, you will see the following take place:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This blog will be archived along with Stepping into CI. They will no longer be updated and will not be accessible using the website domain: steppingintoci.com</li><li>They will be linked, however, and still available once we get our new <b>Scroll and Grove</b> site set up! </li><li>We currently have social media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You will see all of these retired and new socials set up for <b>Scroll and Grove</b> on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok! We will <i>not</i> be available on Twitter. </li></ul><div>We are already working on a few projects including upcoming novellas and publications! Thank you for your patience with us as we embark on this new journey. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at scrollandgrove@gmail.com</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">Thank you!</div><div style="text-align: right;">Miriam Patrick</div><div style="text-align: right;">Robert Patrick</div><p></p>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-85823095767328082892021-05-20T09:34:00.000-04:002021-05-20T09:34:15.228-04:002020-2021 End of the Year ReflectionEvery year is different... but this year was DIFFERENT. I know every state, district, and school did it differently, but my district made it in the news repeatedly, mostly, this year, for the decisions the board made regarding school this year and the pandemic. Just a quick list of some things we... experienced: <div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li> year starting off 100% in person
</li><li>sudden change to 100% digital</li><li>change to 100% parent/student choice</li><li>school choice in how to handle transitions from in person to digital, etc. </li><ol><li>some schools gave deadlines for when students could change from one to the other</li><li>some schools said students could change whenever</li></ol><li>concurrent teaching (teaching in person and online at the same time)</li><li>fire-y board meetings with intense comments from parents, students, and teachers</li><ol><li>this included comments from parents whose kids no longer attended public school with us</li></ol></ol><div><br /></div></div><div>This is an oversimplified list. So, this year has been different... to quote TikTok: This year was "built different". </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not going to spend this post talking about everything I did this year, but I will list a few things I've talked about or have done that were unique to this year:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://removingbarriers2fl.weebly.com/research/the-effects-of-code-switched-reading-research-and-practical-application">implemented code switching stories</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@latinvoc">implemented Latin Vocab TikTok</a></li><li>explored ways to deliver CI in a concurrent environment using <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2021/01/delivering-ci-in-pandemic-three-word.html">three word pictures</a></li><li>updated and reconsidered <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/09/why-i-dont-do-rrr-days-anymore-kind-of.html">how I do review and retakes</a></li><li>explored ways to deliver CI in a digital environment using <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/teaching-virtually-tpr-alternative.html">TPR</a></li><li>implemented <a href="https://www.matermonstrorum.com/social-justice/black-history-month-2021">Black History Month</a> in a concurrent environment</li><li>reflected on <a href="https://www.matermonstrorum.com/teaching-and-covid">teaching during the pandemic</a></li></ul><div>One other thing I did this year, this semester in particular, was to conduct a classroom action research study on the effects of Comprehensible Input on output, particularly in disabled students/students with disabilities. I did this as my thesis for my Special Education degree from Saint Mary's University in Minnesota. For those interested, you can <a href="https://www.matermonstrorum.com/professional-publications.html">read the study here</a>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Needless to say, it's been a busy year for me. There are things I wish I had more time to do and there are things I wish I had explored more fully. But, it is May and next year is already gearing up to be an amazing and new adventure because... I am teaching an ESOL class in addition to Latin! It is going to be an exciting experience for sure.... But, back to this year. </div><div><br /></div><div>As always, I give my students a three question survey at the end (okay 4 question). The questions were:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>What have we done that you've liked?</li><li>What have we done that has helped?</li><li>If you have magistra Patrick next year, what would you like more of?</li><li>Is there anything else you want me to know (doesn't have to be school related)?</li></ol><div>As always, nothing is a valid response. Answers are still rolling in, but so far I've gotten some great feedback that I want to share. This will definitely shape what I plan to do next year. So... Student response are in <b>bold</b> and my thoughts are <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">highlighted purple</span>. Ways it is going to affect what I do next year are <span style="color: #45818e;">written in teal</span>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>We like games. </b><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Honestly though, who doesn't? This year we heavily employed blookets and gimkits in class and as asynchronous assignments. We also adapted the word chunk game to allow digital play (should I do a post on this?). Kids like games... fair enough.</span> <span style="color: #45818e;">Next year I want to employ more hands on games, games that involve physical movement. I miss them!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>CS Stories are helpful</b>. <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">This we knew. We worked to get immediate feedback when we implemented these. However, it is great to hear on the end of year survey because it has been a bit since we've done a CS story and so the fact that it stuck out in students' minds means it really is a great thing.</span> <span style="color: #45818e;">Next year I want to employ them more often. We experimented with different ways to use them and I cannot wait to try more. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>More hands on!</b> <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Um... yes please! I miss this aspect of teaching in person. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) says we provide multiple forms of engagement, representation, and expression.... hands on things are the best for this!</span> <span style="color: #45818e;">Things I am working on or have done in the past that I will continue with include: braille inclusion, use of Wikki sticks, student choice assignments. I also want to have a regular supply of play-doh, legos, and other physical things in my room. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The teacher is always willing to help students, no matter what</b>. <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Okay, ya, this touched my heart. It is my goal to always answer with compassion and... it's hard when you are teaching concurrently and are always exhausted. I greatly appreciate this comment. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>The way we do things</b>. <span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">this is vague, but students remarked on how "non traditional" our classes are. One student specifically listed that we don't hand out vocabulary sheets for memorisation. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>As always there were the typical listings of likes and things that helped including: games, movie shorts, story listening, and dictations. These things, of course, will go nowhere :) </div><div><br /></div><div>I won't say I made lemonade out of lemons this year. (1) I hate lemonade; if I'm making anything out of lemons it's a lemon cake, and (2) I hate that saying. Buzzfeed recently used it to highlight 10 teachers and, while I appreciate the sentiment.... we all worked our butts off this year during a pandemic, during staff shortages (which are really living wage shortages), during substitute shortages, with lack of funds... and all the other things we regularly deal with... to say that we "made lemonade out of lemons" does not do accurately describe all we've had to deal with.... Rather, I did the best I could and I won't speak for anyone else on that matter. For me, the best I could meant answering with compassion, and listening to my students, all while trying to innovate and move my own professional skill forward. I have no regrets...</div><div><br /></div><div>I learned a lot this year and I will definitely carry that forward... But I am SO ready for a new and better year. <3</div><div><br /></div>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-35101971344091781002021-01-14T14:20:00.000-05:002021-01-14T14:20:05.605-05:00Delivering CI in a pandemic: Three word pictures<p><br /> This is an activity that I learned from <a href="https://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/">Keith Toda</a> many years ago and one that I really enjoy doing, when I remember. The basic premise is that you give students three vocabulary words and they draw a picture that incorporates all three words. What I like to do that point is to share one or two of the images and discuss them in Latin. By the end of the period, I will show an image and ask students to tell me what they see. Generally speaking, students really enjoy this activity and like being silly and creative.</p><p>Knowing that I enjoy this activity, I am surprised how long it took me to give it a try in this new pandemic induced environment. I was a bit ahead in the Latin II plans as I had to rework everything due to technical difficulties in my classroom, and so on a whim I decided to figure out how to do this activity. </p><p>I needed a digital whiteboard option and went with whiteboard.fi which my colleague <a href="http://magisterfoulk.blogspot.com">John Foulk </a>showed me. I must say that while it wasn't a perfect execution, it was one that I am going to add to my "digital toolbox" for the future. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFH-0gQ4JBa_nxaAN_29lkA5wZcX2TvGG_z8UIpUlthGTru9NRi_zcaA41QMeDi1vI3bUoL8dMNVslq63ROR3QxkgfifXBwjvKwCD2lRW_Pi26OYGRKikoXpy8e3ppQ6al1i0uAsbYIvr/s1438/wfi1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFH-0gQ4JBa_nxaAN_29lkA5wZcX2TvGG_z8UIpUlthGTru9NRi_zcaA41QMeDi1vI3bUoL8dMNVslq63ROR3QxkgfifXBwjvKwCD2lRW_Pi26OYGRKikoXpy8e3ppQ6al1i0uAsbYIvr/s320/wfi1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Description: whiteboard.fi from the <br />teacher's point of view. Toggle Teacher<br />whiteboard is on the top and student <br />whiteboard previews are below. </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>I started the period by letting students play a gimkit in one of the new forever modes to refamiliarise them with the vocabulary I'd be pulling from and then I opened an open class on whiteboard.fi. I invited students to the class using the link and the QR code that the site gives me and each student had, upon entering, a whiteboard complete with colours, typing tools, and image insertion capabilities. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The sticky part for me came to sharing student images with each other. I was hoping I could simply share an image with them and then when I stopped, they'd still see their own. Rather, whiteboard.fi required me to push it out to their screens. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ30L7rHvpE9gJQ0W1hkoPa4xhVxCIgNqYSGct9R3UqS1c610gRBJ4TJKhZCGgZn8CGYM7SbvN1KHgxPW5OofT-5Cp3EK751KquYmFWS01SGap-tA3ES_1bBlNn4IlBXyDcwQbkn4ouhZ/s1408/wif2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="1408" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ30L7rHvpE9gJQ0W1hkoPa4xhVxCIgNqYSGct9R3UqS1c610gRBJ4TJKhZCGgZn8CGYM7SbvN1KHgxPW5OofT-5Cp3EK751KquYmFWS01SGap-tA3ES_1bBlNn4IlBXyDcwQbkn4ouhZ/w400-h158/wif2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image description: Teacher whiteboard is shown via<br />whiteboard.fi. A menu is open and shows how to push<br />images out to students' whiteboards. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The kids had a lot of fun with this and, while a few lamented how difficult it was to draw on their phones, most of them enjoyed this and I got some really great images from the students (shared below). One of the things I really liked, however, about this that I haven't really seen anywhere else so easily is the save option. Both the students and the teacher have the option to save images (the students save their own and the teacher can save any of them). This allows me to have the potential of an entire database of images I can use later in discussions! </p><p>All of this was done on the free version of this site. I have not explored the paid version of this, but I did discover at least one aspect that was only available via the paid version which was image feedback. If you have an account and pay for it, you can give students real time feedback on their images privately. </p><p>Ultimately I was happy with this tech tool and I will use it again... unless I find something better :) stay tuned!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Student Images</b>:</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRptLSlj-ZvvVybKpE9U1S7I1PAPKe_nxHtKan6rTMycI2Y_cdULiciLot5NgFTUPY0UFVpjdBJ9z-BHgJZZntIy-4bFRBnl892gYnSIZb8bhhrIOVI6Q1y1x0dzP2lQJ_Fuzkn3zzlmzt/s600/s_da85d5a06f380dcc00529c22d6290b38.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRptLSlj-ZvvVybKpE9U1S7I1PAPKe_nxHtKan6rTMycI2Y_cdULiciLot5NgFTUPY0UFVpjdBJ9z-BHgJZZntIy-4bFRBnl892gYnSIZb8bhhrIOVI6Q1y1x0dzP2lQJ_Fuzkn3zzlmzt/s320/s_da85d5a06f380dcc00529c22d6290b38.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latin words given: umbra, ramum, and felix<br />Image description: a happy dog ghost <br />holds a branch in his mouth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOItsyKHnD3klX9fxrPC6gr1zZsE0TFFlLVfTQvI_1CPKM7SdpxkPW94teUkSPlyAvtynZ5PS4hKZAseNs0_pL0bD0IbU2yP5_aSYvjwePd3dyglYZDA5qA-9OIsp3d92t1yjVMDNZ64M/s600/s_b417f2bf3307b4cf925d5afc543cfe6d.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOItsyKHnD3klX9fxrPC6gr1zZsE0TFFlLVfTQvI_1CPKM7SdpxkPW94teUkSPlyAvtynZ5PS4hKZAseNs0_pL0bD0IbU2yP5_aSYvjwePd3dyglYZDA5qA-9OIsp3d92t1yjVMDNZ64M/s320/s_b417f2bf3307b4cf925d5afc543cfe6d.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latin words given: villa, cena, and horribilis<br />image description: outside of a large country house <br />a soda, a burger, and a slice of pizza plan to do<br />horrible things </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>References:</p><p>Foulk, J. M. (2020). Spice up your Latin. Retrieved from: <span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">magisterfoulk.blogspot.com</span></p><p>Toda, K. (2020). Todally comprehensible Latin. Retrieved from: https://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/</p><p>whiteboard.fi (2021). Whiteboard.fi. Retrieved from: https://whiteboard.fi/</p>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-75333968272408133642020-10-08T14:34:00.005-04:002020-10-08T20:40:53.290-04:00Teaching Digitally as an Adventure (Part 3)<p>It's that time again! When I realize I have postponed posting too long and now have a lot to update--but less than I should because honestly I felt a little lost off and on recently. </p><p>I think that's okay.</p><p>I think this year, if we don't treat ourselves with grace, we are going to implode.</p><p>So I don't have as much, but I did create a couple of new things and I'm going to continue to share all my stories with you because..I don't know what might or might not inspire and if what I have can help someone, then I want it to be out there!</p><p>I changed the organization this time because it has been so long that I just figured it would be easier to wade through the things I have made that way.</p><p><b>The Story So Far</b><br />Here is the story of Andromeda so far. I have illustrated parts 1-3 and not part 4. There are definitely going to be mistakes because sometimes I am throwing this thing together at the last minute. But I am excited to be working on this thing.</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Andromeda Prima</b> (<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bt91lDnberbf-lOWD4JblRfbwtD4JIQW3jitESxCuiw/copy" target="_blank">illustrated Google Slide</a>) (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jkhrUgQWaH_f04Kx6aBJcdQ2Vf99yWtThTNr49wTSxk/copy" target="_blank">text</a>)</li><li><b>Andromeda Secunda</b> (<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pWvqaISDJ2kZNQXukmgU1iLKl7F2PHLfMRWMP98vd-k/copy" target="_blank">illustrated Google Slide</a>) (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/18xBXDLNunXl6W9jV-6kuEYc3aq_r1-zj0BdPlKGTZvg/copy" target="_blank">text</a>)</li><li><b>Andromeda Tertia </b>(<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JOR8EF9IJHRQfPWrH5pXEbhz51tYgB93S6HskRe_1dA/copy" target="_blank">illustrated Google Slide</a>) (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kniz4_QXHMD62WQcAwIvGneMl5Uf12h3Z1dsKloYJr0/copy" target="_blank">text</a>)</li></ol><p></p><p><b>Vocabulary Activities</b></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wJt6T48K086fGmF03MERoe1I-qYCkzqPtl3j4YbUgyA/copy" target="_blank">Match Cards</a></b> (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wZ9FfMqzeXYVRMAx9gxPJNDQuqXxTqD3JsnAji9t1QA/copy" target="_blank">template</a>) I made a board using Google Slides that is based on the Memory <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDSJpWJo1gd27rCMxXgRTwOUgTTKYrLfWbzvrqC4jWuUQfXgmng1hK3wmFzQRxe5poK6rWaeAAUma36jLvrXWlH11DNqjtD8fbxVrLp9yCx5_BEduZsIRQ9EHwQ6aC3zcl8GuRqIUnMI/s960/Vocabulary+Matching+Game.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDSJpWJo1gd27rCMxXgRTwOUgTTKYrLfWbzvrqC4jWuUQfXgmng1hK3wmFzQRxe5poK6rWaeAAUma36jLvrXWlH11DNqjtD8fbxVrLp9yCx5_BEduZsIRQ9EHwQ6aC3zcl8GuRqIUnMI/s320/Vocabulary+Matching+Game.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>card game. The basic set up is simple: they have "cards" that they move, and below each is a picture or word. They are to match the Latin words to their meanings, either as pictures or English words. Setting up the board was a little more complex because I wanted them to be able to work independently of me and I wanted each student or group of students to be able to progress at their own pace. So I designed this so that you can set up three different memory boards and the students can change to a new board as soon as they finish the old one!<i> To edit the boards does take a little finessing, since you are going to create a background that you then add to one of the master layouts, but I have included a <a href="https://youtu.be/mRqdip4M0LE" target="_blank">video below</a> to help you out.</i> <b>This game is best used shared with all students able to edit the same Google Slides.</b></li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J-OqGCMhriHAUzOMNR5zTN3TVXikDdNaYBHscFHZBcE/copy" target="_blank">Vocabulary Categories</a></b> I made a simple template for students to organize the vocabulary we <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3rTe9zzRTGSD0qHhiI4m_aVvAuYpVmQsR4JxC2oxoXgKdZI-11Ne-r3mKTyTV4vnTpiO6rvA36s3jcYi2RuI5DzRnKZw8zd9kKkQtn2XbcwZAt-t7M8ruIdu4FfBHPRkfk8MYWU-HsE/s960/Vocabulary+Categories.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3rTe9zzRTGSD0qHhiI4m_aVvAuYpVmQsR4JxC2oxoXgKdZI-11Ne-r3mKTyTV4vnTpiO6rvA36s3jcYi2RuI5DzRnKZw8zd9kKkQtn2XbcwZAt-t7M8ruIdu4FfBHPRkfk8MYWU-HsE/w200-h200/Vocabulary+Categories.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>were working on into categories that can be used in various ways. You can leave it as a basic exercise in thinking more deeply about the vocabulary itself or you can make it a competition (one I learned from my friend Patrick Yaggy): If students hit on the same category, they get points for any vocabulary words they used that no one else did in that category; if they come up with a completely unique category, they get points for all the words in that category. <i>This template is ready to use! If you want, you can edit the Instructions in the master view and other parts, etc., to be in your target language. </i><b>This activity is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nPSrSkKwi4pjndkS5hzwSB5ed2k9dgwoYLFcFTM1DzA/copy" target="_blank">Vocabulary Drawings</a></b> This is a mashup of Keith Toda's <a href="http://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/2019/02/cartoon-olympics.html" target="_blank">Vocabulary Olympics</a> and my <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2018/11/read-draw-and-discuss-new-easy.html" target="_blank">Read, Draw, and Discuss</a>. Basically, using <a href="http://whiteboard.fi">whiteboard.fi</a> (thanks, Meredith White!), I gave students <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsdxo6rZblGtzoGnPHeKp1eaONzk1POy9_2fsiw0TvzWk8Uojmu0TE0XbTQDZTeaR0ZBgpT9n5SMsQ4H9iWYPxGEg844SCwRSebyVGrEccaNA0oWMH2eJLv6cLheaViTOGdCL9WFAiGY/s960/Copy+of+Vocabulary+Drawings.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsdxo6rZblGtzoGnPHeKp1eaONzk1POy9_2fsiw0TvzWk8Uojmu0TE0XbTQDZTeaR0ZBgpT9n5SMsQ4H9iWYPxGEg844SCwRSebyVGrEccaNA0oWMH2eJLv6cLheaViTOGdCL9WFAiGY/w200-h113/Copy+of+Vocabulary+Drawings.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>nonsense sentences to draw on whiteboards that only I could see, then I would clip two images per sentence, put them on a slide, and discuss them with the class to review the sentence and the vocabulary. <i>This is easy to prep: put sentences that will create fun images on Google slides that also use the vocabulary you want to focus on. </i><b>This activity is best used shared with all students able to view the same Google Slides.</b></li></ol><div><b>Reinforcing the Story</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_MNnTBUrEAtM8L2o51upjY8f3QGXjCNVif1co2Xouk0/copy" target="_blank">SNAP</a> </b>(and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Qb0KrB219msBXQi9N_1CGY8z1VgRQJy4IohaDq8_QzU/copy" target="_blank">template</a>) I made a new game! I can't help myself. I get bored with old games. This <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW55hY8sj09hVhbrY-VcImYsx6yYJejNOFHhV4DwGJ0u2QM0XEGH1_xDKUitVD4cYCPWYGAj68Lk8Z00vYpHEJgr03u6t8yaIRM_923IEp_6DjfYZh7XJLKSxbvlXksaZ-sivWa5vJLUY/s960/Snap+Template+With+Questions.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW55hY8sj09hVhbrY-VcImYsx6yYJejNOFHhV4DwGJ0u2QM0XEGH1_xDKUitVD4cYCPWYGAj68Lk8Z00vYpHEJgr03u6t8yaIRM_923IEp_6DjfYZh7XJLKSxbvlXksaZ-sivWa5vJLUY/s320/Snap+Template+With+Questions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>one is meant to be a replacement for <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2019/12/slap-jack-small-group-alternative-to.html" target="_blank">Slap Jack</a>, which I created last year to be a more accessible version of Flyswatter. The basic idea is that I put sentences that describe pictures--some from the story and some vocabulary-based pictures--on "cards" that I could read aloud and show students, and I put the pictures in groups, lumped together in order so that students can self-select what level of difficulty they are playing at. To help explain game play and game setup, I have created a <a href="https://youtu.be/QJoOJIcL19o" target="_blank">video</a> below! <i>This template is easy to edit for your class needs by just changing out the pictures and sentences.</i> <b>This game is best used shared with all students able to edit the same Google Slides.</b></li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kaJ1ipEcLTJ8vQK7uPERfy0iLyFpDdQUeG1LD30vnGs/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Class-Sourced Video</a></b> I just learned about <a href="https://www.screencastify.com/products/submit" target="_blank">Screencastify Submit</a> so I of course immediately created an activity for it. This is not an especially deep concept. Students each are assigned a sentence of a story we've been studying. They create a video using the link to Screencastify Submit that I provide. Their videos end up in a folder together, then I put all the videos in Screencastify's video editor and made it into one video that we watched as a class! voila! </li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aX9q4E04Y5vSnJMkKD_gRQdYQaQqsxDzXN3DG80iM1M/copy" target="_blank">Quis Dixit</a></b> The last story-related thing for this post will be Quis Dixit, inspired by an activity <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kBQw9AfXSPTSGr2MtgRFYmU4V2z_sDZs7IfbXW_SM-T_wVOfEMEV7OyezBaa6uOuBBmU-J11g8J-qYlS-xw2sM9mfteSmzt4mKKqzhuxmcGPscfv8q8rwzaMWSc43t7n_2rV4sAIYuc/s960/Quis+Dixit.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kBQw9AfXSPTSGr2MtgRFYmU4V2z_sDZs7IfbXW_SM-T_wVOfEMEV7OyezBaa6uOuBBmU-J11g8J-qYlS-xw2sM9mfteSmzt4mKKqzhuxmcGPscfv8q8rwzaMWSc43t7n_2rV4sAIYuc/s320/Quis+Dixit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>John Foulk made where students chose which sentence went with a picture. I wanted to dig a little deeper into their character knowledge since we're three stories in, so I gave students either direct quotes from the stories or quotes that could have been said by characters. I also used images of the characters as the background, and on each slide, students were to match the statements to the correct characters. <i>The activity is modified similarly to other activities such as SNAP and Match Cards: go into the Master View and to change out the character images and names (I have them grouped--you can ungroup them with a right click), then in regular view you can change out the quotes all you want.</i> <b>This activity is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li></ol><div><b>Culture: Connecting to the Modern World</b></div></div><div>I was thinking about how little choice Andromeda has in anything that happens to her in this entire story and that made me start singing some stuff from <i>SiX: The Musical</i> so then all the stuff below happened.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kT9NefJvr-554zqzQ__WR_0DD8TAidgs/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Letter from Catherine Parr</a></b> Students read this for independent work one afternoon. It is just an excerpt from the song "I Don't Need Your Love" put on a pretty background. <b>I put this on Google Classroom as a material to view.</b></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cckuwwi0P_Fn2nB9gx7c3LT6HsrMYtlDUawpTr-ND74/copy" target="_blank"><b>Exploring Catherine Parr</b></a> I had students use this as a guide for discussion. We broke into discussion groups via breakout rooms in Zoom and in class. Students were expected to fill out the form with their answers individually. Between each boxed "breakout" we reconvened as a class to discuss their answers to the questions. We also watched the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_nf5zvLJSk&ab_channel=stankhoward" target="_blank">song in context on youtube</a> and therefore got the entire song that way. <b>I put this on Google Classroom as a copy for each student.</b></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1z1bxpz9noGmXH-N83JY7QWClAikss8yhLdHpeGBz_80/copy" target="_blank"><b>Gallery of Choice</b></a> (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CjZvZ6ngkKqF11m58LFS6S6JBdqdgpL-Mqwk1Cp8t2s/copy" target="_blank">template</a>) After we did the class discussion, I had students take the final <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ8sWcwhgkoHOjBd3vXuSN53zqMwjJ6pkWldo_hZi5jPywsLWKAC-AteuGPpEm0fAp2A8ZDVgbUJRJB4WV-xmLFVyO_d1gKft-lMxSDl8cQvCgf-DeTQDc6v8fUGDgkM09fS_OhShZB4/s960/Copy+of+Gallery+of+Choice.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ8sWcwhgkoHOjBd3vXuSN53zqMwjJ6pkWldo_hZi5jPywsLWKAC-AteuGPpEm0fAp2A8ZDVgbUJRJB4WV-xmLFVyO_d1gKft-lMxSDl8cQvCgf-DeTQDc6v8fUGDgkM09fS_OhShZB4/s320/Copy+of+Gallery+of+Choice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>question of the discussion and enter it into a Google question on Google classroom. I used those answers to fill frames in my gallery so students could explore each other's ideas about other modern stories with a similar theme. We then were able to discuss these as a class. I also got a new book to read! <i>This is not too hard to set up and personalize, but to make sure I made a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M1jZbjxE_U&ab_channel=magistracinis" target="_blank">video</a> for you below.</i> <b>This is best offered to students to view on their own at their own pace.</b></li></ol><div><b>Videos</b></div></div><div>Now, for the best clarity for a few items, I thought it was most prudent to offer some videos. (I also may have been reading some Jane Austen recently so my vernacular may be a little affected.)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mRqdip4M0LE" width="320" youtube-src-id="mRqdip4M0LE"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRqdip4M0LE&ab_channel=magistracinis" target="_blank">Match Cards</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QJoOJIcL19o" width="320" youtube-src-id="QJoOJIcL19o"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/QJoOJIcL19o" target="_blank">SNAP</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1M1jZbjxE_U" width="320" youtube-src-id="1M1jZbjxE_U"></iframe></div><div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M1jZbjxE_U&ab_channel=magistracinis" target="_blank">Gallery of Choice</a></div><div><br /></div><div>That is everything I am going to put into this one humongous post! I hope you find something helpful in it! Let me know if you use something in it or if you have questions! And good luck. We all need it right now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Want more ideas? Check out my previous posts here:</div><div><a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/teaching-digitally-as-adventure-part-2.html?showComment=1602203655651#c6796583015016570555" target="_blank">Teaching Digitally as an Adventure Part 2</a></div><div><a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-new-frontier-teaching-digitally-as.html" target="_blank">Teaching Digitally as an Adventure Part 1</a></div><div>Posts by others:</div><div><a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/teaching-virtually-tpr-alternative.html" target="_blank">Teaching Virtually: A TPR Alternative</a> by Miriam Patrick</div><div><a href="http://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Todally Comprehensible Latin</a> Keith's blog has been basically completely focused on online teaching activities.</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-71821315007809208982020-09-11T09:06:00.003-04:002020-09-11T09:06:15.919-04:00PBP Proudly Announces: Itinera Petri: magnum periculum<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eVqeOV1cfDv-WXcUYcglpe7f7ooR8Dvn0Hno9McnFI55q24qRDdQND4yQJyo01_A4Wyt6KYWgM95j1DefCasgYrYefwSD1nx4MuFvZWVkglOLnRtn24FGu0y9j_6Ar314LD8rC33gUR9/s2000/PBP+Proudly+Announces.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1428" height="976" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eVqeOV1cfDv-WXcUYcglpe7f7ooR8Dvn0Hno9McnFI55q24qRDdQND4yQJyo01_A4Wyt6KYWgM95j1DefCasgYrYefwSD1nx4MuFvZWVkglOLnRtn24FGu0y9j_6Ar314LD8rC33gUR9/w695-h976/PBP+Proudly+Announces.png" width="695" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-3361153979474630802020-09-03T14:23:00.006-04:002020-09-03T14:23:42.010-04:00Why I don't do RRR days anymore (kind of)<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Previous posts</h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/10/everyone-needs-little-r-r-and-r.html" target="_blank">Everyone needs a little R, R, and R</a>. </li><li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2017/03/r-r-r-no-failure-classroom-update.html">R, R, R update</a></li></ol><div>RRR was a plan/activity/what not that I came up with many years ago. I presented it to my team as we embarked into Standards Based Grading and it was incredibly useful. In the past two years, however, I have all but stopped using it. In fact, last year I did not have a single RRR day for my kids. So, what changed? </div><div><br /></div><div>The original idea behind the RRR day (originally rest, reach, and remediate) was to allow students who were comfortable with material to get enrichment, students who had missed work to catch up, and students who needed individual support to get it. This is, as any teacher will tell you, no easy task on the best of days. With ~30 students in a room it can be quiet difficult. So, as we worked with my original framework, we experimented with a few things:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">making a list of activities students needed to do for each standard </span>- This was always outside of normally assigned work. The problem with this is that it put exponential amounts of work on us to create these new materials. </li><li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">making a list of options for students for each standard</span> - This was easier in that I would provide a choice of a general activity (e.g. make a comic strip of our most recent story), but still required extra work on my part. It also sparked questions and, on occasion, confusion for students. </li><li><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">RRR days on a schedule</span> - Originally I really wanted to do these days every other week. The problem I found was that some students developed a sense of entitlement that we'd have this day and they didn't need to pay attention or work any other day because they could just get me to explain it to them on this day. For other students, the entitlement came in the form of wanting a "day off".*</li><li><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Extra Grading</span> - This was a major issue. I would find myself grading entire assignments just to move a grade from a 99 to a 100. Again, some sense of entitlement came out when, a few times, a student would say that I was preventing them from having a 100 or ruining GPA because I wasn't giving them a perfect score on RRR work: "But... I did the thing. That's a 100 right?"</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>* I don't use the word entitlement easily. It is a word often used against my generation. I want to be clear that I always try to give students the benefit of the doubt for as long as I can. Once a pattern becomes apparent, however, I will take appropriate action. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, I got rid of it. I started by saying that we'd have an RRR day when the grades showed we needed it. This didn't go over too well for some students. I found myself battling between letting certain students have a "free day" so that I could work with others and give them the support they needed. I was suddenly trying to manage behaviour while trying to do good work with students who needed it. </div><div><br /></div><div>And so, last year, I decided I would not do a single RRR day. Not a single one. Now, let's break that down. Let me address some of the very questions I got when I announced this to students:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3;">So does this mean we can't redo any work?</span> No, not at all. There will <i>always</i> be opportunities for resubmission and opportunities to try again. It will, however, look different. </li><li><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">What about free days?</span> I think I may have laughed out loud. I'm not super proud of that.... but I did. I don't do movies 99% of the time. The exception to this is that I occasionally do a movie short and sometimes I'll show an episode of Class of the Titans (NOT Clash). Even then, they don't take the entire period. This is not a slight on teachers who do show movies. I have on occasion shown one. It is a reflection, rather, of what I think I can do better. I can do a better job supporting the students in my room. That is what I'm always working on: how better can I support the students I see in my room. </li><li><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">But XX does RRR days!?!?! </span>And that's fine. My teammates can still do RRR, and some do. For me, I feel I can meet my students needs better in a different way now.</li></ol><div>But... how did I address all the concerns that RRR is meant to address? Well...</div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I always reserve the right to let students resubmit the exact same assignment at any time. If a student needs to fix something, or understands something new that they didn't before, of course I'm going to let them redo an assignment. I reserve this, however, and this is not available for every thing every day. This is simply for my sanity. </li><li>Instead... I ensure that I make plans to reassess things <i>as part of class</i>. If I notice that a majority of students did poorly or missed something I will adjust and reassess again shortly after (<a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-fault-in-our-plans.html">see post: the fault in our plans</a>)</li><ul><li>Sometimes I'll even say, "check your grades. If you are missing or would like me to reconsider your grade for Standard XX, make sure you turn this in. </li></ul><li>I set my focus on accommodations. My focus is becoming more and more centralised on what accommodations I need to make for any and all of my students. Some of these include small group or one on one instruction, alternative formatting, student choice, representation, etc. </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div>Ultimately I am doing a little bit more to make sure that students are accommodated in my class. By doing that and regularly reassessing through my lessons, we don't need to set aside a day for them to catch up and I ultimately have less work overall. Now, if we needed one, I would have no problem doing so. But I've found that I can accomplish RRR without needing to set aside a day 99.9% of the time simply by focusing my day on accommodations. If you're sensing a shift in the way I talk about things and how I go about things, you are correct. It's a shift I've always been pointed towards, but now I am actively on this path and I haven't ever loved my job more. <3</div><div><br /></div><p></p>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-83564721191824917422020-08-30T13:51:00.001-04:002020-08-30T13:53:40.249-04:00Teaching Digitally as an Adventure (Part 2)<p>Time for an update! I have done a lot of things since my last update--it's been two weeks. (See my first week entry <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-new-frontier-teaching-digitally-as.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</p><p>First, I continue to really enjoy the challenge. I won't pretend to be okay; no teacher is right now, in the midst of a deluge of anger, vitriol, and disregard. But I can find some sparks of happiness in my day-to-day purpose, and that is not a surprise. I am a teacher by calling, not by circumstance or necessity. It's my passion.</p><p>I love my students. I am getting the chance to get to know them and I am working on building relationships, even from a distance. I asked them to fill out a form today to just tell me "vents and brags," and while I haven't finished reading their responses, one of the best things has been finding out that all the work I'm putting into the digital lessons has been noticed. That wasn't the goal of vents and brags (a term I got from Bob Patrick), but it was so encouraging to read. </p><p>Keith Toda often quotes Carol Gaab, "the brain craves novelty." I have done my best to keep that in mind as I plan my digital lessons this year and create activities that are engaging and feel different every day. I have worked to make every plan feel authentic to the space we're in, instead of trying to translate my in-person activities directly, though that doesn't mean I don't take inspiration from things I've done in my classes.</p><p>All that to say, here is what I've been doing in Latin IV!</p><p><i>Latin II is not my own lesson plan right now, so I don't feel comfortable sharing it. But you can mod these templates to work for you. Many things are made to work with Google Classroom because it is magical. Others work with Zoom. Hopefully you can see ways to adapt all!</i></p><p>At the bottom of the page are a quick couple of videos, including one to demonstrate how to modify these templates to fit your personal needs. I know that it's not perfectly intuitive and I want you to be able to use these successfully.</p><p><b>Introducing the Story: Engaging Background Vocabulary<br /></b>It's been a while since these kids have had Latin in a classroom environment and we were mostly winging teaching online starting in March, so to make sure they are prepared to read anything, I can't assume they all know the vocabulary they were "taught" so it was important to me to make sure we did some things to find out what they did know and to reinforce it. Yes, that included <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-new-kid-in-town-gimkit-instead-of.html" target="_blank">Gimkit</a>, an online resource that is always evolving. But I am not willing to use it exclusively. Here are the other things I did:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Zfsydze6hnJYn2ibcDwcHBIH0fMRwb2VOHj1jQjpQdo/copy" target="_blank">Vocabulary Know-it Board</a></b> I filtered out the vocabulary that I knew was supposed to be new to <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE4wert15poVXyhTaYseZJ4cTuDTPtxVLHzmtVKxSP9Pd5GFdwfeKW6CIv65jNik72C_9H5VmxtZAepmediFmS_aOyTcsUt1geKeprD7STn-UBOnjgA1ORMN4_c4FgQ_u1RYumcyzacQ/s960/Copy+of+Andromeda+Background+Vocabulary+Knowledge.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPE4wert15poVXyhTaYseZJ4cTuDTPtxVLHzmtVKxSP9Pd5GFdwfeKW6CIv65jNik72C_9H5VmxtZAepmediFmS_aOyTcsUt1geKeprD7STn-UBOnjgA1ORMN4_c4FgQ_u1RYumcyzacQ/w329-h248/Copy+of+Andromeda+Background+Vocabulary+Knowledge.jpg" width="329" /></a></div>students and set it aside. For literally every other word, including words like "in," I asked students to sort the vocabulary into piles of words "I know," "I really know," "I kind of know," and "I don't know." From there, I created a database of words they did not know and kind of knew and used that information to decide: 25 important words to review (they went into the Gimkit) and the 10 most important words to review (they are brought into focus by me on a repeated basis in context). <i>This template is easy to modify for your own use; you can clear out any group of words and change the words to words you need your students to sort through. If you copy one of the rectangles and then press ctrl+v it will paste in this lovely diagonal design. I simply did that over and over while typing a new word each time. Then I would select the entire stack of ten and move them where I wanted</i>. <b>This board is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1owk-3oMTD5N-TtZfGRPNfTU-Rm-2Z9EolwZHyHxUtsQ/copy" target="_blank"><b>Vocabulary Bricks</b></a> I took the 25 important words I got from the Vocabulary Know-it Board and <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMapaQBgHYR8bgvxHRirZL82LP241XZZBbsUpEgLAuQ6PFxvQCEEymv2-s5iB-IXf9CjxloR0htqT8QG_Qy9TiIdFu6PjHYHez1BXC3kqTfT0XPDL_xdDhNzA8yJudp7yfM1BT_Z5jlH4/s960/Copy+of+Andromeda+Vocabulary+Bricks.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMapaQBgHYR8bgvxHRirZL82LP241XZZBbsUpEgLAuQ6PFxvQCEEymv2-s5iB-IXf9CjxloR0htqT8QG_Qy9TiIdFu6PjHYHez1BXC3kqTfT0XPDL_xdDhNzA8yJudp7yfM1BT_Z5jlH4/w328-h184/Copy+of+Andromeda+Vocabulary+Bricks.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>I created a game where students could compete to collect words. This was loosely inspired by the <a href="http://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/2017/11/vocabulary-highlighter-game.html" target="_blank">Vocabulary Highlighter Game</a> but I needed a way to play in the current digital environment. So I created a game board with a goal space for two players and boxes for each word. Students choose a slide to pair up on, put their names as either Player 1 or Player 2, and listen for me to call out words in English. When I called out a word, students grabbed the Latin word and dragged it to their goal on the slide. We were on the Zoom meeting together, but we all looked at the slide instead while we played. (If you would like to add visual support, please watch the demonstration on how to easily do so on the video for Accidit Romae below.) <i>This template is also easy to modify for your own use; simply change out my words for your own on one of the student slides, then copy that slide and paste it several times--enough for your class to be divided into teams of two.</i> <b>This game is best used shared with all students able to edit the same Google Slides.</b> </li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19p9rdXO8ND52tEsYyGh2GnCmJdae2W6iRVJEfexsb-w/copy" target="_blank"><b>Vocabulary Puzzle</b></a> This is one of the few times I literally took a game I play in class and put it <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DheWdWQANxfmnny9NrAkaU4sc9WRshL0NOZ4qdPukDA_2wisAI9w4Kc2_UANsg1OkcHsdnf7Jdm6Upwa7z_2jt4CXqwKC4MF7WY9E8FtRF7K0piRLG6SmbNy4YYuBj3VVWgOywPtrdE/s960/Copy+of+Andromeda+Vocabulary+Puzzle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DheWdWQANxfmnny9NrAkaU4sc9WRshL0NOZ4qdPukDA_2wisAI9w4Kc2_UANsg1OkcHsdnf7Jdm6Upwa7z_2jt4CXqwKC4MF7WY9E8FtRF7K0piRLG6SmbNy4YYuBj3VVWgOywPtrdE/w210-h210/Copy+of+Andromeda+Vocabulary+Puzzle.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>in a digital format! It just works so effortlessly as a digital manipulative. This one I gave out to students and had them do on their own, although I encouraged them to give a friend a link to their own puzzle to help each other and then they could jump to the friend's puzzle to complete it too. The template I am giving you has the easy-to-edit format first, and then an example of how I stacked the pieces once I was done. <i>To edit the puzzle, just double-click on the words and replace them with your own. Remember that students are trying to match the Latin with the English meaning. This puzzle can host 24 vocabulary words. Then turn the puzzle pieces different directions and stack them in a random order or lay them randomly around the board--however you would like to mix them up. You don't need two slides; I included the second slide so you can see what I did.</i> <b>This puzzle is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li></ol><div><b>Introducing the Story: New Vocabulary</b></div><div>Of course, there is new vocabulary as well. I employed some usual CI approaches that I thought might translate well as well as some brand new ideas.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Venatio </b>Traditionally the school year for most of my classes starts with <a href="https://latinbestpracticescir.wordpress.com/category/circling-with-balls/#:~:text=With%20beginners%2C%20students%20are%20given,called%20%E2%80%9Ccircling%20with%20balls%E2%80%9D." target="_blank">Circling with Balls</a>. It's a <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuB3N9oYh17GQtAqOveZftsW9T7zsSNqJwOun7r_ckx5273DNzmGPF3TXI9NFU_cEwtytLN6K8d4oKEao0tVJlr2DTTjQm742iw5Jh3X-yE1j-D-1kv8ME8NQbGu-BPqPDtxJzGY7H9U/s960/Venatio.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuB3N9oYh17GQtAqOveZftsW9T7zsSNqJwOun7r_ckx5273DNzmGPF3TXI9NFU_cEwtytLN6K8d4oKEao0tVJlr2DTTjQm742iw5Jh3X-yE1j-D-1kv8ME8NQbGu-BPqPDtxJzGY7H9U/w328-h184/Venatio.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>quick get-to-know you routine that lets me find out more about my students and lets them find out more about each other while speaking Latin. However, this year we are in a different format, the flow of class is different, and getting students to answer questions in a digital class without feeling so much more on the spot and uncomfortable (trust me, I have attended many classes online, and I am not usually afraid to be the center of attention) is just harder. I don't want my class to be something my students dread. So this was one of those things that I stepped back from, thought about the purpose, and reconfigured. The purpose of Circling with Balls is to get to know my students and provide clear, comprehensible, repetitive Latin. So I decided I could do something similar with a scavenger hunt. I don't want it to be all period, but doing a simple class opening where I ask students to find one thing that fits thematically with the vocabulary we are studying, and then discussing what they show me, gives me the chance to get a similar feel that makes sense in our digital environment. On the first day, we did a super easy sentence that all kids would know: Find something you love. I got lots of pets, a couple of siblings, some sports balls and phones, and a lot of smiles.<i> To modify this for yourself, simply write a sentence for each day that incorporates one word that you want to focus on, but make sure everything else is completely comprehensible. You can make a virtual slide if you want and let it be your background in Zoom, like I did, or you can write it on the board behind you, or on paper, etc., and then repeat it and make sure students know what they are searching for. Make it vague enough for more than one answer (the one I am showing here is: Find a thing you have too much of) so you can have interesting responses from the students</i>. <b>This is best used live in session when you can see all of your students.</b></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hkpGaxmNsUuRSlJsNXVXjhyiSm5JjOo-qDzLWNZ8OlA/copy" target="_blank"><b>Vocabulary Slides</b></a> I have already made a <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/06/simple-easy-and-quick-introductory.html" target="_blank">post about this type of activity</a> before. These are just the vocabulary slides I created to go with the beginning of this particular story. <b>This is best used live in session with teacher leading and discussing in the target language.</b></li><li><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10xTINkF58IwAea3VbYOzAVwzImNFByuZEUn9ZFYbqIY/copy" target="_blank"><b>Vocabulary Scenes</b></a> Instead of <a href="https://latinbestpracticescir.wordpress.com/2015/02/17/owats-one-word-at-a-time-stories/" target="_blank">OWATS</a>, which can be easily collaborative (I am still always <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9FCikgdLSGHUXlEQI_yGna_xZD38tUh7UCgAyEKxge3e0DQA0qwhrOt1qDWlUlXtjidosohuGnAFL1CD-Vzns5cp-IA91pxwarwruyEP6HUnvKTsV2kudL-YKqnPhl5cHIQGtT_eQvI/s960/Vocabulary+Scenes+for+Reading.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9FCikgdLSGHUXlEQI_yGna_xZD38tUh7UCgAyEKxge3e0DQA0qwhrOt1qDWlUlXtjidosohuGnAFL1CD-Vzns5cp-IA91pxwarwruyEP6HUnvKTsV2kudL-YKqnPhl5cHIQGtT_eQvI/w328-h184/Vocabulary+Scenes+for+Reading.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>looking for ways to help students find community in this setting), I decided to ask students to create Vocabulary Scenes using a Google Slide that I had set up for them. I put them into Zoom breakout rooms randomly so that it would assign them partners and a "room number," then asked them to find the slide marked with the same room number and work on it. They were to create a scene using the five words on the slide and vocabulary they knew from previous years of Latin. I spent the class period jumping from breakout room to breakout room answering questions and making sure students were safe and on task. After they were done, I took the scenes they created and added sentences and used these as simple introductions to class and reminders of the new vocabulary, three scenes at a time. <i>To modify this for yourself, just figure out how many rooms you might need and change the focus words on the right of the student slides!</i> <b>This activity is best used shared with all students able to edit the same Google Slides.</b> </li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N3zGFVc3sK3sLRbVdXNOoKIzqoWJiwV71rS1vrARhG0/copy" target="_blank">Sentence Frames</a></b> So this idea is honestly one of my early ideas with manipulatives. I still think it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwWSKno9JL0Vodq86ApXKxnz5TdyMW9UFlOUxhcmQ6_lV1YlkjL6Vt__yeAb1SHtoDW8D2L_I9Wsw9j8IFg-TV7ouJcpjVeoCE2Gb118JQIK9hIVTsO1LMEcjZh2aKjoDNRy3A3_G5LU/s960/Student+Example+-+Andromeda+Sentence+Frames.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwWSKno9JL0Vodq86ApXKxnz5TdyMW9UFlOUxhcmQ6_lV1YlkjL6Vt__yeAb1SHtoDW8D2L_I9Wsw9j8IFg-TV7ouJcpjVeoCE2Gb118JQIK9hIVTsO1LMEcjZh2aKjoDNRy3A3_G5LU/w328-h184/Student+Example+-+Andromeda+Sentence+Frames.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>was a good idea, but I made a big error when composing this: I focused so much on pushing some of the more challenging aspects of the upcoming reading that I made this activity incomprehensible--the opposite of CI. I still feel it has potential, which is why I am sharing it here. But it is one that I will be more careful about in the future. Generally I created sentences that students could either fill in or slide answers to, then illustrate in the open white spaces below. <i>What I have linked is a finished version with a template slide included; I will include how to modify it in the video below, because it is more complex than the activities above.</i> <b>This activity is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li></ol><div><b>Reading the Story</b></div></div><div>When you finally get to the story, one of the important things to do is to make sure you have a chance to repeat the story many times without feeling repetitive. With that in mind, I combined several approaches, some simple CI approaches from the classroom that transfer fairly comfortably to a Zoom classroom setting, and some I definitely really had to change or create fresh for the digital class. A side note: I decided to keep this first story quite short while I gage the students' capabilities and ease them into our current setting.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bt91lDnberbf-lOWD4JblRfbwtD4JIQW3jitESxCuiw/copy" target="_blank">Picture Story</a></b> This is a link to the the story I told to my class using pictures. We are starting a <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj0xE-8Ml7qRE4ClntUwiW6OZDB4DOAYC52jmgMUjzIeoxEi9GVKHTS2XsAzwmPALk43osWmOGRnKeHC_ZConK3yVroAw3FLVRDt8aiiwJ2UUQsz6fDnhwIltY8WggeFZ4-IYFUOpwdY/s960/Copy+of+Andromeda+Prima.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj0xE-8Ml7qRE4ClntUwiW6OZDB4DOAYC52jmgMUjzIeoxEi9GVKHTS2XsAzwmPALk43osWmOGRnKeHC_ZConK3yVroAw3FLVRDt8aiiwJ2UUQsz6fDnhwIltY8WggeFZ4-IYFUOpwdY/w328-h184/Copy+of+Andromeda+Prima.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><br />series of stories about Andromeda, the Ethiopian princess rescued by Perseus, but told from her point of view. Circling (asking questions to emphasize and reinforce vocabulary) is clunky at best in this setting, so instead I did my best to elaborate using the picture as a jumping-off point. <i>To make your own, this is more labor-intensive, in that you will need to create your own images and take pictures and insert them or draw images on an app and insert them. However, images are useful not only for clarifying a story but for creating discussion.</i> <b>This is best used live in session with teacher leading and discussing in the target language.</b></li><li><b>"Choral" Reading</b> I need a better name for this. We did not read chorally. I was inspired by <a href="http://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/2014/06/choral-reading.html" target="_blank">choral reading</a> to create a space in class for me to find out who knew the story, who understood the story, and yet still make sure that I was clarifying the meaning. What I did, which worked very well, actually, was highlight a section, ask students to type the meaning in the chat (which I have programmed in Zoom to only send to me, so it is not public. This has been a wonderful feature because students who are sometimes afraid to speak up in class are much more comfortable in this setting), and then clarify the meaning after I got student input. It was slow, but that was also kind of nice for students who are slow processors, and it allowed those who are fast processors to get their answers in there asap and be proud they were able to write everything probably before everyone else. Then, afterward, I just opened the chat log (which I have Zoom set to save) and I had a grade ready to go!<i> Prep is easy--a nice, large font version of your story!</i> <b>This is best used live in session with teacher leading and clarifying the meaning in English.</b> </li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BocxTYIscV2KO3gsTcL-beVlH_fjTRfAVT4XAcGehgk/copy" target="_blank">Accidit Romae</a></b> (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PVlAVIDSr3aQPCNvZXQVA9rl8r1VDB8RFRvvmlIuQvs/copy" target="_blank">question template</a>) Okay, so stay with me here. I was inspired by the Las<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZrRc1NqLyfU0uhuHZD3Y9QXKqSDj-atlL5-rk5FJ3G0gmUsrldcl2-cqf1lVZnKb6ggyEBlskB2Ml91qhFBl307YApFmH_RQQtdHBZKG2j5APU6Nz8GIpSvde8Xzmi6yLeFiKeNzpa0/s960/Copy+of+Accidit+Romae_+Base+Game.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZrRc1NqLyfU0uhuHZD3Y9QXKqSDj-atlL5-rk5FJ3G0gmUsrldcl2-cqf1lVZnKb6ggyEBlskB2Ml91qhFBl307YApFmH_RQQtdHBZKG2j5APU6Nz8GIpSvde8Xzmi6yLeFiKeNzpa0/w328-h184/Copy+of+Accidit+Romae_+Base+Game.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>Vegas game that Meredith White had shared last year among a pile of review games she enjoyed. The basis is simple: students, paired up, ante up bets on how likely they think they will be able to answer the next question. The question is posted with an A,B,C,D answer option and they pick one. The answer is revealed and whoever gets it right gets the pot. All of this is done with pretend money, obviously. However, I wanted to figure out how to do this digitally. So I created a board with two players and an A,B,C,D setup, made stacks of 10 denarii apiece so each side has a total of 50, and then I had to figure out how to show them questions. The answer became this: I need a master slide that I can edit live. I have a <a href="https://youtu.be/W2Yav4Qza7o" target="_blank">video</a> below to show you what I mean, and how to run the game. It was very successful! <i>If you teach another language, watch the modifying templates video to learn how to change this game to work with your own language.</i> <b>This game is best used shared with all students able to edit the same Google Slides.</b> </li><li><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EaWPWwqsXGvBCRxmBnyISSxKN8nxUFLFzMU_rzNuBrg/copy" target="_blank">Andromeda Prima: Interpreting the Reading</a></b> Finally, after reading the story twice and playing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAlF4XQlyeNaUojijePh-3GfEET7Btxln8kX7YEtX5BdirJHFtFSO6SLq5VpGO5L_zRBG-ZHe2J8RSN17jK_5VupJs6pjx9SN2rHG26j6nE-6xcNO9hu5P2KIG-c5_CMWx1MFNx5kMIQ/s1060/sample.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="1060" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAlF4XQlyeNaUojijePh-3GfEET7Btxln8kX7YEtX5BdirJHFtFSO6SLq5VpGO5L_zRBG-ZHe2J8RSN17jK_5VupJs6pjx9SN2rHG26j6nE-6xcNO9hu5P2KIG-c5_CMWx1MFNx5kMIQ/w410-h153/sample.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>a game to make sure students understood the story overall, and a gimkit that I didn't link here because that is something that we have all been doing in our classes before this whole thing happened, it was time to do an activity that required a little bit deeper reading and asked students to use quotes from the story to support their opinions. <i>This is a really easy activity to set up; if you read the instructions you can see that you can ask for whatever types of details you want students to find within the text. I do recommend showing students how to create comments; even after doing so, a surprising number still had trouble and placed their comments in interesting spots and almost received lower grades than they deserved when I couldn't find them at first. That said, it was a pleasure to read and grade.</i> <b>This activity is best used in Google Class as a copy for each student.</b></li></ol><div><b>How Do I Do Make These Things Work for Me?</b></div><div>That is such a good question. I know I just threw a lot at you at once. Here are two videos to help.</div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/W2Yav4Qza7o" target="_blank">Playing Accidit Romae</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W2Yav4Qza7o" width="320" youtube-src-id="W2Yav4Qza7o"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://youtu.be/yIeSkgs4BoI" target="_blank">How To Modify Google Classroom Manipulative Templates</a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yIeSkgs4BoI" width="320" youtube-src-id="yIeSkgs4BoI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hopefully this extremely long post has helped you get started on some fun ways to expand the activities in your digital classroom! I'll keep posting as I come up with more ideas!</div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-22397552532136085012020-08-21T13:24:00.000-04:002020-08-21T13:24:10.961-04:00Choice and Consequence<p>Yesterday evening I gave a three-minute "comment" at my board meeting to try to make a case for protecting students, staff, and faculty, while slowing community spread, by maintaining digital learning until scientific data shows the time is correct for opening schools. It is hard to fit all of that into three minutes. I have embedded and linked a video of my speech below, and beneath that is a full transcript of the speech for the hearing impaired or those who prefer to read.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Do5PTbEfHIQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="Do5PTbEfHIQ"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do5PTbEfHIQ" target="_blank">View on YouTube Here</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Thank you for hearing me. My son is a Gwinnett senior this year, and he has worked very hard to create his perfect senior year. Starting in his Freshman year, he has taken extra classes so that he could create a schedule with room for two musical courses, Latin, and an environmental engineering course that he has been excited about since January. Seeing his senior year ruined is enraging. My son has repeatedly made hard choices to arrive here.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">You have made choices to arrive here too. Some have made me proud—such as the bus-based food distribution program—and some have shamed me. Throughout the entirety of the summer, you chose not to address the county’s virtual infrastructure so we could teach digitally with success. You chose not to purchase enough chromebooks for students without home devices to provide equal access to digital learning. You chose to sit and hope that instead of increasing, the cases of Covid would decline, and you could simply open the schools.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">You chose inaction.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">And you chose to justify your inaction with two-month old surveys, outdated research, pandemic advice from an OB/GYN, bully tactics, and an increasingly incredulous obliviousness of the experiments already running in Paulding and Cherokee County.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">By opening schools, you are making a new choice. A choice to ignore the current science. A choice to ignore the CDC’s recommendations for—not even the “best-case scenario,” as it is worded in your own reopening plan—but the bare minimum for safely reopening. A choice to put teachers and their families at risk. A choice to put bus drivers and school staff at risk.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">But most importantly, and the reason I cannot comprehend how you can claim to care about the well-being of the students you govern, this is a choice to put children at risk. A choice that will result in child illness.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Yes, there is risk in everything. But there is a difference in driving a car with the knowledge I might someday be in an accident and driving a car knowing today is the day.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Statistics are clean. They are faceless. But know that in this room are people who have lost family members to Covid-19. Look at our faces and tell us you choose us as your sacrifice. You choose our families.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">You choose our children.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">My son’s senior year should have been his best. But I choose his life over his convenience and momentary happiness. I choose people over politics. My hope is you can choose the same.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Thank you.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-38942476164317388102020-08-15T14:32:00.002-04:002020-08-30T13:54:44.866-04:00The New Frontier: Teaching Digitally as an Adventure (Part 1)<p>Look, I don't want you to see my title and run away because it's so positive and you're already worn out by the peppy, faux-positive, "we can do this" posts that paint teachers as go-getters who conquer all obstacles because we're just so darn selfless. </p><p>That's not me. I'm also <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/07/politics-over-people-during-pandemic.html" target="_blank">angry</a>.</p><p>But, I like challenges and puzzles and technology, and here I am, with a huge Gordian Knot plopped in my lap, and I can't resist the chance to pull at the edges, work the thread, and pry it until it starts to soften and reveal what's inside. Plus, my kids deserve great teaching from me.</p><p>And if I can deliver great digital teaching, doesn't that prove that perhaps we can wait to open schools until it's safe?</p><p>So I have a lot of reasons to work on this.</p><p>If I'm truly honest, though, I am more excited about teaching than I have been in a while. I have missed the intellectual challenge of a conundrum this big. I love the kids, so emotionally I have been fulfilled. But figuring out how to create digital community is fun.</p><p>Okay. Enough about me. </p><p><b>Making a Google Classroom</b><br />When I started posting about how much I'm enjoying my digital days, people started asking if I would share the things I'm creating. My answer: absolutely! Why should anyone else have to create stuff again? So if you already have a Google Classroom, skip the video below to the couple of goodies. If you don't, watch the video below to find out how to create a Google Classroom in the quickest way possible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UUa4u6asijk" width="320" youtube-src-id="UUa4u6asijk"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Assignment Option: Favorite Things Introduction Slide</b><br />So my main goal overall this first half week of instruction has been to help students get used to Zoom, get on my Remind, join my Google Class, and learn how to use Google Classroom effectively. That means that we have done some simple activities to help them learn how to use different functions. The video above discusses the Stream and assigning questions and material. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-sBRoicST-mPAFHDOwpxfxMInkfv18NrnIDwv242iactyzK8DGVcWvkXCdJml1aWxTup5j-R6u8wmFkZS7DHU2l_SKFKzyYqa0fWiDvMNQgxNgwO2KbOSOpM91pRoOqbVnz_1Ped_PE/s960/Introduction+Slide.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-sBRoicST-mPAFHDOwpxfxMInkfv18NrnIDwv242iactyzK8DGVcWvkXCdJml1aWxTup5j-R6u8wmFkZS7DHU2l_SKFKzyYqa0fWiDvMNQgxNgwO2KbOSOpM91pRoOqbVnz_1Ped_PE/w410-h307/Introduction+Slide.jpg" width="410" /></a>This assignment is meant to be assigned as a copy for all students. It's independent work. I was inspired by a video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ROGr_57DhI" target="_blank">like this one</a> to think about how I could make things editable for the kids without them messing up the parts I want them to leave alone. There is a second approach aside from inserting the image in the background, by the way. I made this slide and the following one by editing the slide in Master View because it lets me add more elements. Then I added the parts I want them to be able to change in the regular view of the slide.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1eiOEwj_lkrxSv_TIk96C0VnNozJktsIQtrC9y2YH8v4/copy" target="_blank">Favorite Things Introduction Slides</a></p><p><b>Opinion Board</b><br />I also wanted to try out the concept of a shared document that students all edit together. Honestly, this spawned from the fact I wanted to build class community, but I will get to more of that later. Below you will find what I created as a result: </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXTqdDRFWgouXhIbdWFhpbgIWeJKMO9qNzfQELuwn7uf1ZqEvZb57j0GNvzZ9VuEcQOiQzZ4PtYQttbJmlI0c6B0jibZ-zH5xeAf4uByaaznNALTetic5s2aW1fmqDbt5TpF7dYDpddw/s960/Opinion+Board.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXTqdDRFWgouXhIbdWFhpbgIWeJKMO9qNzfQELuwn7uf1ZqEvZb57j0GNvzZ9VuEcQOiQzZ4PtYQttbJmlI0c6B0jibZ-zH5xeAf4uByaaznNALTetic5s2aW1fmqDbt5TpF7dYDpddw/w410-h307/Opinion+Board.jpg" width="410" /></a>an Opinion Board. The opinion board construction is based heavily on things I learned from this video, and it honestly was so much fun. I asked questions in Latin, students moved tokens to their preferred answers, and eventually started moving each other's tokens. If you worry about them posting inappropriate things on a shared document like this, Google's "version history" is what protects you. Just click the link at the top that tells you when the "last edit" was made and you will be taken to the version history of the document. It will list when every student edited the document and whenever you hover over a name you can see what their contribution is. I warned students this was the case so they wouldn't get carried away. I also used this to keep restoring the document to my original version to "reset" it so we could ask another question. The students laughed and enjoyed themselves and one class was inspired to trade social media account information. This created class community on the second day of digital learning.</p><p>To change the options on the Opinion Board, open the Master View and edit the words there.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ph-0mTAFSISWnPrzFa-brFdvOZv7Y1mikkJe4bCzcU4/copy" target="_blank">Opinion Board</a></p><p><b>Final Thoughts--For Now</b><br />I have a lot of these. Honestly. First of all, I love what Google Classroom is letting me do. I could gush on and on, but I won't. I will just say that it feels like freedom.</p><p>But. More importantly. The biggest mistake you can make when trying to create digital lessons and digital classes is to think of it as simply taking your regular, face-to-face classes and putting them on the computer. That way is pure frustration for you and your students. The setting is different. You're different. They're different. The best thing you can do is recognize that.</p><p>Instead, think, what is the point of this activity that I would normally do? What is its function? What are its key components?</p><p>Then look for ways to fill those needs with technology. It will feel more authentic.</p><p>Lastly, I named this Part 1, because I plan to keep sharing what I learn and what I make. This is a year where we will all be trying new things, learning as we go, and hopefully becoming better teachers against all odds and with public opinion, as always it seems, against us. We can at least support each other!</p><p>(I wrote a follow-up with more templates! See Part 2 <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2020/08/teaching-digitally-as-adventure-part-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-39924337280195258192020-08-11T05:45:00.001-04:002020-08-11T05:45:14.377-04:00Teaching Virtually: A TPR alternative<p> This year I am teaching Latin I again. I am so excited, but we are starting, if briefly, online. <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-first-ten-tpr-in-two-weeks.html" target="_blank">Total Physical Response (TPR)</a> is still part of our plans, but we need to be creative. A few realities:</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>We cannot, in any way, see 30+ videos all at once to ensure that students are hearing and understanding us. </li><li>Some students may not have their video on (a point for another time). </li><li>We are using web cams and it will be difficult to get them to film us doing actions. </li><li>Gauging comprehension is going to be... interesting. To say the least. </li></ol><div><br /></div><div>I am collaborating with two colleagues this year for Latin I: Bob Patrick and Liz Davidson and we've been meeting regularly to figure out what we will do. Yesterday we met to discuss the plans for next week and Bob came in with six words: canis, leo, serpens and currere, ire + ad, stare*. He said that his thought was that these six words would be easy to work with and do some TPR in some way. </div><div><br /></div><div>We discussed the idea of an asynchronous scavenger hunt where we'd give commands in Latin and students would use picture or video evidence to show them doing the actions. This excites us because it gets kids moving, involves their personal lives and choices in class, and requires movement, rather than sitting in front of a PC all day. </div><div><br /></div><div>But, the question remained. How do we establish meaning? How do we provide enough comprehensible and compelling input BEFORE the TPR? </div><div><br /></div><div>So, we added to the list. Those six words are our target words, or the words we are going to require. We came up with approximately nine more to be icing words... BUT... here's the kicker --> ALL the words came from our county vocabulary list! This means that even those these words are not targeted now, they will be later and, by then, the kids will already have acquired them at least somewhat! We added words like pulcher, laetus, iratus, medius, anxius, silva, and via+.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bob had talked about these six words being perfect for an action story. So, we took a few minutes and wrote three different stories, each focusing on a specific animal. The word list we'd come up with were the only words we wanted to use and, while 1-2 more words were needed, they still fit. </div><div><br /></div><div>What came out of this work were three very simple stories and from that a natural order (which we did not plan) to those stories. First, our students will read my story, the story of a canis who is in the road, but wants to be in the forest with the lion and the snak. Second, our students will read Liz's story, the story of the serpens who is sad that he cannot run, but whom the dog finds beautiful. Third, our students will read Bob's story, the story of the leo who is already friends with the dog, but is afraid of the snake. The dog connects the two and they all become friends. Again, we did not plan our stories to connect in such a way, but the did naturally and that felt wonderful. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, we finished our meeting by deciding that we'd each create a series of activities for our stories. As individual teachers we can choose which activities we like for each story, but all our students will be reading the same story. We also decided on a comprehension check for Friday. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is not the only way to collab, but I was so inspired by what happened naturally that I thought I'd share. I've boiled it down to 5 simple steps which I've shared below. :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>* canis - dog, leo - lion, serpens - snake and currere - to run, ire + ad - to go to, stare - to stand still</div><div>+ pulcher - beautiful, laetus - happy, iratus - angry, medius - middle, anxius - worried, silva - forest, and via - road</div><div>----------------------------------------</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFdc5vQNBIOZ6lytZxUoY2uV_07xu2kHs2-eEHXiH2qikB5KoPV4gF1uHU9jSkiWygsySAmAHAZ0ZCTNPf78Fle84CQ-f7OO0AaOnQ26ZCfC1dPRgHeKIyTfzTbbfSYuqtBhCNugOH0qz/s2000/5+Steps+for+Supporting+TPR+Virtuallty.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="(1) Identify target words (2) Add complementary icing words (not required) (3) Write simple stories (4) Determine order of stories (5) Create and Collab on activities" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlFdc5vQNBIOZ6lytZxUoY2uV_07xu2kHs2-eEHXiH2qikB5KoPV4gF1uHU9jSkiWygsySAmAHAZ0ZCTNPf78Fle84CQ-f7OO0AaOnQ26ZCfC1dPRgHeKIyTfzTbbfSYuqtBhCNugOH0qz/w494-h640/5+Steps+for+Supporting+TPR+Virtuallty.png" width="494" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-54188941465113630452020-08-06T15:31:00.004-04:002020-08-06T15:31:50.169-04:00Announcement: Help during COVID! Salvete! <div><br /></div><div>In an effort to help support each other during this time, Pomegranate Beginnings Publishing is offering PDFs of any and all of our published books, for FREE, to teachers for use with classes! </div><div><br /></div><div>We ask two things in return: (1) That you do not share the PDF with others (except your students), and (2) That when we go back to class and you need copies of our books, you purchase them. </div><div><br /></div><div>As of now there is no time limit on this offer, as we want to do our best to support everyone. So... If you'd like to contact us for a PDF copy of any of our books. Click the image below :)</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to this, we offer a reading library on our main site: www.steppingintoci.com</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_WYi1chLLGGgGZ33IcDBr7Oqf3T9BS5gX4UnoR37_r8Y1mQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" imageanchor="1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6cV3cKCH2AkWTC2JibCgJ_yvgUAmM_jzf2T95XcSncbLNzhpur5DHewgOYseYT-IPhD5xMq36PMgToarUfxUOw5Fu9jj34Yc6CToQ7l-rPLZiA5jpU7gs5vVlGONQ2TUK3JKtidMMBIE/s640/Just+so+you+know...+we%2527re+here+to+help%2521.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-5824659354016984662020-07-11T12:31:00.001-04:002020-07-11T12:31:12.455-04:00Politics Over People During a PandemicI have been angry since May. Strike that. I have been in a rage. I have watched the nation politicize the health and well-being of its citizens, politicize equal rights, and I reached a boiling point and have stayed there. I could possibly write a book over all of my feelings at this point, but for the purposes of this post I am going to focus on one topic: the rising numbers of infected people and the opening of schools.<br />
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My feelings on this matter are simple. Opening schools amid rising infection rates is a guaranteed death sentence. Some teachers will die. Some support staff will die. Worst of all, some students will die. Some teachers and staff and students will be infected and survive but have debilitating after-effects; coronavirus attacks the lungs, heart, brain, and immune system. Nick Cordero, the Broadway star whom Covid recently killed after a three month battle, had already lost a leg due to the virus before he died. Corona isn't the Spanish Flu. Corona is Polio. Even survival doesn't mean full recovery--it can mean a lifetime of disability.<br />
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And I lay these results at your feet, decision makers. School boards. State education boards. Anyone who could be stepping in--should be stepping in--to stop schools from opening, but would prefer to play politics and please both sides. Sometimes there aren't two sides. This is murder. Every life lost because you would rather please the people than make the right decision will be your fault. Every child hospitalized will owe their isolation and terror to you.<br />
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But that is not all I lay at your feet. Trauma and anxiety, the fear of attending school and bringing this epidemic back home to vulnerable siblings, parents, grandparents, I also lay at your feet. If a student infects their immuno-compromised mother, brother, grandfather, the student suffers a traumatic event. Are you prepared to provide the counseling students, teachers, and staff will need? Every aspect of school will remind students that they are in danger, every section of school will be regimented.<br />
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Inequitable access is your fault, too. Instead of insisting we return to school when the danger is so obvious, this time could be spent solving the problem of access for all. Funneling money towards 1:1 devices instead of new desk dividers. Devising an action plan for contacting and even visiting and equipping households with less engagement last year to make sure they have the tools and knowledge they need to be successful this year. When we inevitably revert to online classes due to opening schools too soon and the deaths that will be soon to follow, you will have provided no help to those families and they will be in the same place they were before.<br />
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Finally, when we revert, since it will again be sudden, teachers will again be forced to change modes suddenly, and lesson plans will have to adjust suddenly, instead of being planned meticulously for an online curriculum, which would be the ideal. You could allow teachers a month or more of real preparation for online teaching and quality instruction, but instead you are choosing to put us in the same position that befell us in March--except in March no one could blame you. This time you are choosing it.<br />
<br />
Decision makers, school boards, state boards, national boards. You are choosing poor instruction. You are providing inequitable access. You are causing mental trauma. And you are killing people. Don't open schools because you choose politics over people during a pandemic.<br />
<br />
A pandemic shouldn't be political.<br />
<br />
It's that simple.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-24398801405257802922020-07-06T20:29:00.000-04:002020-07-06T20:29:09.583-04:00Covid 19 and Me: A ReflectionWhere do I start with this? Right now it is cool for a summer evening on account of the storms that are rolling through. The sun is setting within an hour and I am sitting at my computer with a bottle of water playing video games and writing this post. I have dogs at my feet and cats in the cat tree behind me. Sounds like an excellent evening. And yet, I am terrified. <div><br /></div><div>To say that I did well during quarantine is an understatement. I am a solid introvert and in addition to chronic conditions like asthma and extra bones, I have both generalised and social anxiety. And... to just add a big ole cherry to that, I broke my foot severely in the fall and hadn't been able to walk for 6 months. Quarantine allowed my foot to heal, gave my anxiety fried nerves much needed rest, and allowed me to reset myself. I haven't had a really bad panic attack since February/early March. And yet, I am terrified. </div><div><br /></div><div>And... I am sad. I was in a trailer this last year and we were essentially told via automated phone system that we shouldn't return to school... at all. I finally got the okay to come clean out my trailer to move back into the building and I was met with a classroom ready to pick back up on a "next day" that never happened. I was greeted by unfinished artwork, tests that were never made up, and a list of notes of things to check in with students about. It felt like walking into a frozen scene where you expect things to start again any second. I remember packing up my room thinking, "at least next year I'll be in the building and I can start again.. right?" Now, I'm not so sure. </div><div><br /></div><div>And... I am angry. I am angry that we weren't better prepared. I am angry that this is still a joke to so many. I am angry that, back in March/April/May, people said teachers "needed a raise" but they were the first thing considered for budget cuts. I am angry that teachers were given little to no support (again) and expected to figure it out... and WE DID. Overnight, literally. We did everything we could to support the students we love with whatever support and guidance we could get. And now we are literally being given no real, viable options for the new year for our safety or our students safety. Options vary across the country, but the message is clear, "Get back in the classroom, with fewer resources, and do more". Any "lessons learned" during quarantine are gone it seems and it's "back to business as usual". And that's it isn't it? Business. Teachers have to go back and sacrifice their health and their students' health because business won't support families during this time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't want this post to turn into a rant that is angrier than it already is, so I want to look at a few things that are <u>going to</u> happen. Some are pulled from things I've seen online or things being "offered" to teachers. </div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Those masks being given to teachers? I can tell you what we'll do with them. We'll wear them until someone comes into our room who needs one. Someone who is sick. Someone who needs protection. Then, we'll give them our mask. </li><li>Those safety precautions? Those self checks? They'll work until someone is running late for work, gives their child some Tylenol and sends them to school. </li><li>Those self isolation guidelines? Those will work, except... what happens if the schools aren't notified about illness and contamination? Where will we get the subs? I have some sick days built up, but the sick days teachers get every year don't even last for one full quarantine period. </li><li>Buses are NOT going to be staggered, distanced, etc. That means that we are looking at 50+ students being exposed at any given moment on the bus. Those students then go into a room with 30+ others and a teacher. At the high schools, they'll meet 30+ new people in second period, and so on. </li><li>Those "one direction hallways"? They'll work until J needs to talk with Mrs. X or with B. They'll work until Q needs to go to the bathroom, but it's behind them in the hallway. They'll work until the halls bottleneck and all of a sudden the bell rings and students are risking tardies and discipline. And that's NOT the kids fault. But... they'll bear the consequences. </li><li>Those socially distanced, same way facing desks? Those are great... except C needs to fidget and H needs to stim. L needs help reading. Your teachers will have to choose to either let students work without help or break social distancing to help them make progress. That is not a fair position to be put in as a student or a teacher.</li><li>Oh, and all those things you KNOW we'll need to keep the kids safe? Hand sanitiser, gloves, masks, disinfectant spray, extra supplies so students don't share. That will most likely be provided by the teacher themselves, as usual. The difference now is that in some places, budgets are being cut and teachers will get no assistance.</li></ul><div>And, on top of all that, many of us will be figuring out how to teach in person AND online, if we go back as planned. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Do I want to go back? Yes. I want to see my kids. I want to teach, to do what I love. That is also what makes this so hard for us teachers. We WANT to be with the kids. We also want the kids to be safe and healthy. We can't teach your students if we are fighting for our lives. We can't support your students if we are stuck behind a glass wall six feet away. It isn't ideal, but we can try and support them online and we have been. I can do more for my kids on a computer and with a camera and my phone then I can wearing a mask, staying 6 feet away, in a classroom. Do I want to... NO! I want to be with your kids. I want to see their faces every day, give them high fives when they have successes, and, yes, I want to be there to listen to their woes and help them through their struggles.... But... Health comes first. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll close with this. Everyone should take a look at <a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html">Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs</a>. Before we can meet their academic and creative needs, we must meet their basic needs of safety and health. We are woefully failing as a country right now in doing that. We have to start there. </div>Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-40893908486952388872020-03-02T07:18:00.003-05:002020-03-02T07:18:33.266-05:00Update Regarding Stepping into CI Subscription ServiceGood morning Stepping into CI! <br /><br /><br />After discussion and thought, we have decided to cancel the pay portion of our website at this time. This is partially due to the fact that, as providers, we have not been as active as in past years on the website and we do not want to charge anyone if we are not fulfilling our end of the bargain. Rather, we'd like to focus back in on our origins, the blog, and share there while we continue to focus on our own professional development and program. This is not the end of PBP or Stepping into CI, for sure. <br /><br /><br />We want to thank you all for your unending support and love as we've embarked on this journey! Without you all, our website, podcast, CI Bites, or units would never have happened. Thank you! <br /><br /> After March, those subscription portions of the website will close and content will potentially be offered elsewhere depending on the creator's choice. More information on those offerings and anything new we come up with will be announced, as always, on the blog. <br /><br />Thank you! We hope we have and will continue to serve you well. <br /><br />Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-61322369926227269792020-01-10T14:27:00.000-05:002020-01-10T14:27:23.667-05:00Norms, Expectations, and SELThis year I took a different approach to classroom norms and expectations (often called classroom rules, or daily expectations, etc). I created a series of promises that students and I made to each other. In August, we had a day where we discussed these expectations and agreed to work together toward these goals. You can see these in the presentation below.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="569" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQamFbVNLGSKq6ZrKlDS9Yy6otxTo1q24ppYOrIGGO32azYtAgEiHJatOOPINajNJ5_IWpOJOIQDO36/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=5000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="960"></iframe>.<br />
<br />
After taking a course on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and giving it some consideration, I decided to do something new in January. Below is my reflection on how it went in each class and I've included some pictures of their work.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Supplies used in class</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>foam poster board (can stand on its own; is more durable)</li>
<li>markers, pencils, crayons, etc.</li>
<li>permanent marker</li>
<li>white board and markers</li>
<li>google survey</li>
<li>extra decorations:</li>
<ul>
<li>shout out cutouts</li>
<li>washi tape</li>
<li>stickers</li>
<li>stamps</li>
<li>highlighters</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
Steps taken in each class:</h4>
<div>
<ol>
<li>survey reflection on August norms/expectations</li>
<li>brainstorm key words and phrases that are important to the class</li>
<li>class discussion and review of norms and expectations</li>
<li>creative design of class poster board detailing the new norms and expectations for the class. </li>
</ol>
</div>
<h3>
1st period </h3>
<div>
First period, like I imagine most first periods to be, is relatively quiet. Students are, at best, mostly awake and, at worst, completely asleep. Many didn't eat breakfast or are panicking about a test or assignment for a later class. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To the right, you can see the key words the class came up with. It took some prodding, but eventually <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5JWDil-sx37ALgWzCYZu3hVuSc7kgVQVdwRAx1Wof1QGZQWhKqGyfo3xm4EvRj_keK-tNKDk28k78kb6VF9DknpcoZZLkqB_Zd2c2tuqPNaeGJhWc8mcAmJPPhJElv7Xu6U-WpUZJPqj/s1600/IMG_20200110_081208_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit5JWDil-sx37ALgWzCYZu3hVuSc7kgVQVdwRAx1Wof1QGZQWhKqGyfo3xm4EvRj_keK-tNKDk28k78kb6VF9DknpcoZZLkqB_Zd2c2tuqPNaeGJhWc8mcAmJPPhJElv7Xu6U-WpUZJPqj/s320/IMG_20200110_081208_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMG: A whiteboard with multi-coloured words on it. Words are:<br />
different, honesty, respect, community, ready to learn, kind,<br />
responsibility, supportive, self-control, unique, productive,<br />
safe, engaging, jokes, awake, details, considerate, open,<br />
positive, and creative.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
they started to come up and write on the board. What was key for them was seeing me write as well and include my thoughts. I wrote words like "awake", "safe", and "fun". Others wrote words like "respect", "community", and "jokes". These key words helped us come up with unique norms for 1st period. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After discussion, the class decided on 4 detailed norms/expectations. Personally while I prefer a simpler, if longer list, this class decided to include the ideas in the details. The class did not finish creating their poster, so we will pick up on Monday. I'll post their final draft on Twitter (@miriampatrick). </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
2nd period</h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtgg7dHTUQRY_04R4B-Pk93Xt9HFDbn2HfH0cREPhKmMigOxUy-ayLEg8M0Vq_nfHAOFA0xKoKg_t4XGydKflqGaEwqNgM92qePDJdiBg3B0Pq45AeoJRPz865kn1qelJXzZhwg6cJ2Iz/s1600/IMG_20200110_084448_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtgg7dHTUQRY_04R4B-Pk93Xt9HFDbn2HfH0cREPhKmMigOxUy-ayLEg8M0Vq_nfHAOFA0xKoKg_t4XGydKflqGaEwqNgM92qePDJdiBg3B0Pq45AeoJRPz865kn1qelJXzZhwg6cJ2Iz/s320/IMG_20200110_084448_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMG: A whiteboard with multi-coloured words on it. Words are:<br />
democracy, be fun, be fye as frick, Latin, positive, lit, be nice,<br />
happiness, games, no communism, share, no cussing, no bugs,<br />
don't be wack yo, open minded, respect, talking, diplomacy,<br />
communication, listen to each other, and clean.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My second period class is smaller than my first, but also a Latin II class. While these students are certainly more awake, they can also be very quiet. That being said, when given the opportunity to fill the board, every single one of them came up and started writing almost immediately. They engaged in conversation much more openly and quickly than my first period, but this fits their general personalities and relationships with each other. This class enjoys joking with each other and some of the words on their board reflected that conversation.<br />
<br />
This class also used a lot of colloquial language and inside jokes that are unique to their community. Words like fye, frick, wack, lit, and even communism have unique meanings to this group of students. While these words did not necessarily make it into their list of norms and expectations, they were an important part of our discussion and their desires. Fye and frick together refer to engaging and participation. Wack refers to respect, communication, and kindness. Communism is obviously a reference to current situations and expresses students desires to be unique, individual, and open. Similarly, however, they also recognised that sharing and equity were also very important and that this space belongs to us all and we need to work together to create and good space.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI2zZkKq7NfgVM5dKfGhQzdAk_XG2Ue4PPIC2OoxiQ7LXylLEsVY3mLpg0IhqMhto0mtriidI0xqkkwRPVMdAIbBymwlx_SrcFrgfybIPS7ma6TVTOPseZK5Th-Rvsx-RNYG9gHKFP-OD/s1600/IMG_20200110_091903_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI2zZkKq7NfgVM5dKfGhQzdAk_XG2Ue4PPIC2OoxiQ7LXylLEsVY3mLpg0IhqMhto0mtriidI0xqkkwRPVMdAIbBymwlx_SrcFrgfybIPS7ma6TVTOPseZK5Th-Rvsx-RNYG9gHKFP-OD/s320/IMG_20200110_091903_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMG: a white poster board with brightly coloured rules (listed<br />
in blog) entitled Class Norms. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This class came up with 7 unique rules. (1) Listen to each other. (2) Be open to what others have to <br />
say. (3) Everyone has their own voice. (4) Participate to the BEST of your ability. (5) Respect the classroom space. (6) Leave the room better than you came! (7) Leave your issues at the door.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3rd Period</h3>
<div>
My 3rd period is a Latin I class with a vocabulary unique to them; so much so that I had to ask what a few words meant. This class is large and vocal. There a quite a few students who needed a gentle reminder that this was an activity that required their individual and serious participation. Once we go into discussion, however, we came up with a wide variety of things that all centered around creating family. This class, as negative as they can each be about anything, really want to be a family. This circled around ideas like protection, support, and acceptance. This was a really good conversation to hear them have.<br />
<br />
<h3>
6th Period</h3>
</div>
<div>
My 6th period is my smallest class. They are the most vocal when it comes to how they feel (positively or negatively). They are also the most skilled at successfully encouraging me to go off topic! They are also all friends, so this was quick work for them. After some joking around they got right to the task and finished brainstorming quickly. They then began work on the poster, ultimately deciding upon four classroom norms: (1) Have fun and laugh. (2) Help others. (3) Respect and listen to everyone. (4) Work together to stay focused. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They even worked to figure out, to the best of their ability, how to say "We love Latin." While not 100% correct, this is their own work and I am incredibly proud of them!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkKTWWb06M-U4JrEPU2kJjW8tL0h3xgmDHXJe964U8hMixmvPeMkIM4icw3YlUf4vHRNfeTj_euT5uBL-4-crHazFw1BtlVNeZ8Py62Gp2P2bZMM2M1tPRhpZevyHFlrig9OcUqzKcB5H/s1600/IMG_20200110_131535_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxkKTWWb06M-U4JrEPU2kJjW8tL0h3xgmDHXJe964U8hMixmvPeMkIM4icw3YlUf4vHRNfeTj_euT5uBL-4-crHazFw1BtlVNeZ8Py62Gp2P2bZMM2M1tPRhpZevyHFlrig9OcUqzKcB5H/s320/IMG_20200110_131535_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMG: A large white posterboard with class norms listed in<br />shoutouts. The posterboard is decorated with stickers<br />stamps and markers and includes "nos amat Latinam". </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfxellXphDLj-8-8VN1wAtD-rpY4Keie382HuO4NRbPunqYIEqnj2iCmomlvgKmCMQP-Ja8K5EQwWb-9hjnWy2Xp7zP3wvrK6WBZjDGtqlBVAY13rcBm2k87fsovQq-lRqTwE4Yv43-gz/s1600/IMG_20200110_140810_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfxellXphDLj-8-8VN1wAtD-rpY4Keie382HuO4NRbPunqYIEqnj2iCmomlvgKmCMQP-Ja8K5EQwWb-9hjnWy2Xp7zP3wvrK6WBZjDGtqlBVAY13rcBm2k87fsovQq-lRqTwE4Yv43-gz/s320/IMG_20200110_140810_MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IMG: A whiteboard covered in words: Love, Latin, Play,<br />clean, respect, learning, intellectual, contribute, gimkit,<br />awareness, cooperation, people, English, friendly,<br />games, no sleep, awake, chill, nice, communicate,<br />fun, normal, crazy, engaged, respectful, funny,<br />enjoyable, good energy, good vibes, pay attention,<br />clean, honesty, creative, engaging, and listen to each other. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
7th period</h3>
<div>
My last class of the day is my largest. This class included just about any student you can think of. It took a little longer for them to collect ideas and to understand what I was asking, but when they did, we got a board FULL of words and phrases! Their expectations focused on working together to create a fun and interactive environment. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They are still working on their poster, but their brainstormed is pictured left. </div>
<br />Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-73555334586498009062019-12-19T08:38:00.000-05:002019-12-19T08:38:26.315-05:00Waiting for Summer: The Detrimental Effects of Putting Work Before YourselfI wrote a while back about <a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-personal-blog-in-honor-of-mental.html" target="_blank">my struggle with PMDD</a>. Untreated, I spiral into depressions, anxiety, and panic attacks. I have trouble believing myself likable; I tend to think most friendships based on pity or a need to avoid an awkward conversation.<br />
<br />
A couple of years ago I was put on seizure medicine, and, as per usual, my body took on many of the more rare side-effects. Most of these have been allayed by adjusting the dosage, but one that I did not realize at the time was interference with my birth control, which I was taking to control my PMDD.<br />
<br />
I mean, I was unusually stressed in November, but that could be explained by outside factors. I didn't fully recover over winter break, but maybe that was because break was shorter last year and I didn't really get a lot of downtime, so it made sense that I was feeling a little defeated. I had lots of reasons to tell myself that my feelings made sense and weren't out of the ordinary considering all of the factors I could point out to myself. I just needed to keep going and when summer came, I could rest.<br />
<br />
Until February. February 2019 was not a special month at all. Nothing happened that I could point to. I just started spiraling out of control. Crying on the way to work and sometimes in my empty classroom. Crying on my way home--basically whenever I was alone.<br />
<br />
I finally decided to talk to my doctor. That summer.<br />
<br />
I was way too busy to go right then.<br />
<br />
March brought with it a new level of depression and anxiety, and with it, a sensation I hadn't experienced since I was in fifth grade: the wish to die. If you haven't experienced that level of depression, you will mistake it for being suicidal. There is a difference. I didn't wish to take my own life. I was just okay with my life ending, and not having to face the world anymore. The line between these two things seems thin, but it's large and important. Still, it's not healthy, and I let my husband know I was in a bad place and that I was definitely going to see my doctor because I was pretty sure the hormones were not working anymore.<br />
<br />
As soon as I could get in to see her that summer.<br />
<br />
March is a very busy month.<br />
<br />
I somehow stumbled through April and May, crying, wishing to die, and being possibly the worst teacher I have been in my life--I had trouble making myself go to work, so trying to do much more some days was almost beyond me--and finally made it to the summer.<br />
<br />
I saw my doctor. She was aghast that I'd waited. She could tell by my demeanor that I was not myself.<br />
<br />
I got a new prescription that I had to wait to start.<br />
<br />
I had to go be professional before I got to start my prescription and had a depressive attack publicly. I think mostly only good friends realized it happened. I still feel ashamed that it happened and that I lost control in that setting.<br />
<br />
I am ashamed of the teacher I was last year. I feel like I let students and my teammates down. I definitely let myself down.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>The Moral of the Story</b></h3>
<br />
Luckily, once I started my new prescription, things changed. To a huge degree. I have since realized that my depression had started even before November. This school year I missed half of pre-planning and expected to start school even more exhausted and unmotivated than last year. Last year I missed no pre-planning, I just got back to the state right before pre-planning and I was uninspired. I liked my students--that has remained unchanged throughout all of this, thank goodness--but I could not get excited about any aspect of teaching.<br />
<br />
This year I was excited. I wrote stories and plans and created things to share with the other teachers in my department. I have finished another unit for Stepping Into CI and am thinking about finally finishing a novella I started a year and a half ago. I have been inventing games again. I am slowly becoming my old self again.<br />
<br />
And I compare that to where I started the school year last August and I realize that I was already sinking. I was already viewing things negatively.<br />
<br />
I waited almost a year to get help for myself.<br />
<br />
I waited until summer.<br />
<br />
And that was so very dangerous.<br />
<br />
We are trained as teachers to put our jobs, our careers, ahead of ourselves. And I am an especially driven teacher; at least half of my identity is wrapped up in being a teacher (a good part of what remains is being a mother, with some little bit left over for being a wife--my poor husband). It feels wrong to me to give up time to almost anything, including doctor's visits, when I've scheduled things like board meetings, or I need to grade, or plan, and I am almost unable to take a day off for that purpose (the one exception being to take my son to the doctor).<br />
<br />
Yet imagine if I had gone at the first sign of danger in November, or when I really realized things were wrong in February. Imagine how much better my classes would have been if I had gone to get help in March when things were irrefutably wrong.<br />
<br />
Who else out there should be getting help now, but is waiting for winter break? spring break?<br />
<br />
Who else out there is waiting for summer?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-27650041654456139862019-12-11T10:14:00.000-05:002019-12-11T10:14:00.005-05:00Slap Jack: A Small Group Alternative to FlyswatterAlmost every teacher has played a version of Flyswatter. If you haven't, it basically goes:<br />
<ol>
<li>Project information on the board/screen.</li>
<li>Divide the class into two teams.</li>
<li>Give representatives from each team a flyswatter.</li>
<li>Have students hit the correct information with said flyswatters based on clues.</li>
<li>Hilarity ensues.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I have played this game with my students off and on for sixteen years. I generally have enjoyed it, and there have been some nice improvements on the game, such as <a href="http://todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/2015/03/sentence-flyswatter.html" target="_blank">Keith Toda's move toward pictures and sentences</a> instead of just vocabulary.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
However, as my classes have grown in size and, to be honest, changed in demographic from students who are super engaged in school to students who feel much less represented and are therefore largely disaffected with academia, I find that flyswatter leads to poor classroom management that, at best, means a bunch of students are sitting around not paying attention for large sections of class time and, at worst, means juggling student behavior while still trying to keep a semblance of a "fun review."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, simply, I stopped using it. But I missed it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also wanted to do something that would allow students to self-select a difficulty level and provide a means of differentiation as my classes and those of my colleagues have grown more inclusive of students with learning differences.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's my solution: Slap Jack!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I took the images I would have used in a round of Flyswatter and made them into images I could cut out, then created a ppt with sentences to go with the images, and voila! A small-group version where all students are engaged.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Slap Jack</div>
<div>
Preparation</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Gather images and sentences you would like to use. I used images and sentences from some short vocabulary stories we had recently read in preparation for a myth we were about to read.</li>
<li>Divide the images into 4-5 groups. For this one, I made four groups. Mark the backs of the images with the number of their group so you can keep track. For example, if there are six images that will be called out first, they are in group 1 and need to have "1" written on the back of their pictures.</li>
<li>Make a powerpoint or Google slides that coordinates with the group numbers (without putting group numbers on it). So the first six sentences are all for group 1 images (I put the answers on the ppt as well), and the second six (or whatever number you set) are for group 2 images, etc.</li>
<li>Cut the images out and put them in envelopes marked with the group numbers. This is the most tedious part of preparation. I made ten sets of images so I could have nine groups and an emergency set.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Play</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Put the ppt on the board and give students a chance to choose how hard to make their game. 1 envelope = easiest setting, 2 envelopes = medium, all envelopes = hardest. Make sure they know to keep the envelopes in order and that they need to open them and use them in order.</li>
<li>Have students take their chosen number of envelopes and put out the images face up between them all.</li>
<li>When the sentence goes on the board, say it out loud. The first student in each group to slap the right image gets to hold on to that image.</li>
<li>Whenever you finish a group, give time for setup for any groups who are doing one envelope at a time.</li>
<li>When you finish all the images, students count their images to find out who got the most points in each group. You can give prizes if you want to.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Cleanup</div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Cleanup is pretty easy--have students look at the numbers on the backs of the pictures and put them in the correct envelopes!</li>
</ol>
<div>
I wish I had taken some pictures but I was just caught up in the moment so I didn't. Sorry. What I can offer is the Google slides and document I made for the game we played earlier this year.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13BcygdAwKCJwElGkbVy0Touw3nGOJ1YNE92AsED2k4c/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Google Slides</a></div>
<div>
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/17k2oGWG5Ztus5KpyS850w6eRBGZ2BEEgpSlxJDvYaho/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Pictures for the Slapping</a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-56750140232021778482019-12-04T11:01:00.001-05:002019-12-04T11:01:29.081-05:00Interactive Vocabulary - a New TakeFirstly, let's start with credits!<br />
<br />
Credit to Suzy from TeachStudentSavvy for the idea for this activity. I found it originally on Pinterest, but her blog post explains it very well and gives visual samples! The links I link below are my own creations using Google Docs. <a href="https://www.teachstudentsavvy.com/2019/05/the-best-teaching-tools-for-learning-vocabulary.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=33021928">You can find her original post here</a>.<br />
<br />
I came across this looking for ideas how to help a student with vocabulary. We were coming to a head on how to help them achieve their goals in Latin when our traditional CI strategies were not simply enough. I had looked at a few ideas on Pinterest, but I wanted something that provided extra support and could be a resources as needed in class. Then I found Suzy's idea: VocAPPulary!<br />
<br />
Basically, the idea is that students create an interactive vocabulary sheet that has a variety of information on it. Suzy's examples are from science and mine are from Latin below.<br />
<br />
Suzy put it best: "It combines the use of illustration, word walls, and flashcards in a trendy, student-friendly package." (TeachStudentSavvy, 2019).<br />
<br />
You start with a blank cellphone template.<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KrTZVSfo68aXRUgxetRRBgdlcatCKMfq"> Here is mine without boxes</a>. <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZAatQszyI4Pp761_1Gp5sABG677jMJEv">Here is mine with 8 boxes already added</a>. I drew these on my computer.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexliNrhOQZl-QRvupVeyWuIir7-NbiEsMXpLkkkMjU9xUzbDVuWFzogLO1uVMhEPnKPRvLIj5U2W8y2wf0esAfjUyWh1RDEvjd7GZPZuHiu0UwUJWN1PrGSz29fNPTxWaDuxni5wk_Z4s/s1600/IMG_20191204_092055_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexliNrhOQZl-QRvupVeyWuIir7-NbiEsMXpLkkkMjU9xUzbDVuWFzogLO1uVMhEPnKPRvLIj5U2W8y2wf0esAfjUyWh1RDEvjd7GZPZuHiu0UwUJWN1PrGSz29fNPTxWaDuxni5wk_Z4s/s320/IMG_20191204_092055_MP.jpg" width="240" /></a>Students then add to this template the key vocabulary and notes. Here is an image of some I made for the first chapter of <i>Pluto: fabula amoris</i>. I colour coded my notes and included the following for each word: <span style="color: red;">The Latin word,</span><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"> the definition in English</span>, <span style="color: blue;">a note about derivatives, or categories, or similar words,</span> and a note about a single Latin word that is related. Subsequent chapters make use of other primary colours for the Latin word and meaning.<br />
<br />
The student then took blank boxes and drew a picture of the word. They cut those images out and taped them to the completed cell phone template.<br />
<br />
Now, the student has a resource. They automatically see the words and the images. They can then flip up the image to find the definition and some notes.<br />
<br />
In subsequent chapters I also considered including notes like:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>other forms of the word</li>
<li>sentences using the word</li>
<li>personalised questions (What do you find beautiful? What do you like to do? etc)</li>
<li>examples</li>
</ul>
With this particular student, I slowly lessened the amount of notes I wrote for them. As we get further into the chapters, they will have to fill in more and more information with me, their teacher, or on their own. This is so that eventually they can make this on their own without my assistance.<br />
<br />
If I were doing this with an entire class, we would take the notes together.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=17KWUoqFLA4Cce-6d15Znvwd_7TdTSODv">Here is the completed set of handouts I made for this activity</a> including the phone template and empty boxes for drawing images and cutting and pasting.<br />
<br />
Here is a completed example of the VocAPPulary using the same first chapter as above:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90-9_UnltBvcJLIIHZYLy9PKyBPcNJPbUhMJuzuUKQQkObAKb00FauFWrn5jtaOpLHB7XVRro_3t-w5Zisd6x3y6IlrJs8R0rK_wxB5okn0tenHsxe4E2N3s8Fz3PwZ0zzJPa1PTf80HS/s1600/IMG_20191204_105632_MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90-9_UnltBvcJLIIHZYLy9PKyBPcNJPbUhMJuzuUKQQkObAKb00FauFWrn5jtaOpLHB7XVRro_3t-w5Zisd6x3y6IlrJs8R0rK_wxB5okn0tenHsxe4E2N3s8Fz3PwZ0zzJPa1PTf80HS/s320/IMG_20191204_105632_MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-54478896862215626382019-11-11T09:09:00.002-05:002019-11-11T09:09:35.325-05:00Standards Based Grading - I can take a grade for anything!I thought I'd share quick ideas today on how to take standard grades without making formal activities or having loads of paperwork.<br />
<br />
I try very hard to not take grading home. Firstly, I have 6 animals and they do not appreciate paperwork in the way I think my students would like. Secondly, I have a few chronic conditions that can make completing work difficult. So, I have to be careful with my time. I try to take grades whenever I can. This benefits everyone:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>grades get updated regularly.</li>
<li>students who may not perform well all the time get may opportunities to reassess.</li>
<li>students' grades reflects real levels of proficiency repeatedly through the year. </li>
<li>I get grades updated before the end of the school day and can go home a little lighter. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So.... here are 10 ways you can quickly and easily input grades during class or informally:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>During a running dictation (or scrambled eggs or QR code dictation), include some commands. Watch your students and, as they complete those commands, you can give a grade for what they do. This could cover listening, speaking, writing, comprehension. </li>
<li>During a running dictation (etc.) listen for who is speaking in Latin, reading the sentences out loud. You can easily give them a grade for reading or speaking. </li>
<li>Students who ask questions in the target language can receive a grade for interpersonal interactions, speaking, gesturing, etc. </li>
<li>Students who use appropriate rejoinders in class can receive grades for interpersonal interactions, speaking, listening, comprehending, etc. </li>
<li>Students who complete a brain break that is in the target language might receive a grade for listening and comprehending. </li>
<li>Students who complete jobs in class using the target language can receive grades for interpersonal interactions, presentational interactions, speaking, listening, comprehending, etc.</li>
<li>Use group work and class discussion specifically to listen for your students who may not present well on paper and vice versa. Fill in grades as you can. </li>
<li>Turn student work into a listening assessment. You can use student images or monsters created and use them to create descriptions in the target language. Students draw the image they hear and then you can project and discuss. This can be a listening, comprehending, TPR, discussion, etc grade.</li>
<li>If you have a great convo with a kid in the hall or outside of class in the target language, give them a grade for it! They've earned it!</li>
<li>A student who shows understanding non-verbally whether through action, picture, or writing should receive a grade for their ability to understand. It isn't output, but it is skill. Give them that grade as you can. Use that skill to build up their confidence! Applaud them!</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Other Posts on SBG from PBP</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2017/03/r-r-r-no-failure-classroom-update.html">RRR Update</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2016/05/reflections-on-being-first-year-teacher.html">Reflections on being a first year teacher again</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2014/09/standards-based-grading-sbg-making-it.html">SBG - Making it work</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/11/standards-based-grading-mid-semester.html">SBG - Mid Semester</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-fault-in-our-plans.html">The Fault in our Plans</a></li>
<li><a href="http://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2015/09/serpens-easy-assignment-for-both-sbg.html">Serpens</a></li>
</ol>
</div>
Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-34523828206266296182019-09-27T07:15:00.000-04:002019-09-27T07:15:50.152-04:00Discipulus Illustris for Vocabulary DeliveryThis year has been different than previous years as an Untextbooked language teacher--last year our school district decided to mandate a particular vocabulary list for each level of Latin and this year I am personally in charge of making sure our Latin one students are confidently able to function within that vocabulary list.<br />
<br />
It means less flexibility, but I generally welcome new challenges, and I have already been thinking about how to get even more repetitions of vocabulary into my students' lives without it feeling like that's what I'm doing.<br />
<br />
One way I've done that this year is to modify the idea of the Discipulus Illustris activity.<br />
<br />
There are a lot (a LOT) of writings about and ideas about Discipulus Illustris. The basic idea of the activity is this: you choose one student at a time to be interviewed. The interview is extremely supported, with a guide on the board at all times for every question, answer, and discussion for the class. The teacher does some question and answer with the class over the student's replies, the students write up what amounts to a short paragraph about the student, and, finally, the student is thanked for his or her time.<br />
<br />
For much more detailed writings about this activity, you can read the work Lance Piantaggini has done on Discipulus Illustris <a href="https://magisterp.com/2015/10/21/discipulus-illustris-updated-materials-and-variation/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://magisterp.com/2019/04/04/discipulus-illustris-2019-20/" target="_blank">here</a>. He has by and far done the most development on the activity!<br />
<br />
Up to this point, however, Discipulus Illustris has generally featured generalized questions about random aspects of a student's life, such as preferred types of food, sports teams, and astrological sign. As interesting as these topics can be to my students, they haven't helped me forward my students' knowledge and prepare them for the readings I want them to be able to comprehend.<br />
<br />
This summer I realized I still wanted to do Discipulus Illustris, but I wanted to overhaul the activity to better serve my program. So instead of having one basic interview setup, I started creating new Discipulus Illustris interviews based around the vocabulary I need students to learn for any given story.<br />
<br />
It's already been paying dividends. Using "a quo venisti?" ("Where did you come from?") as one of my questions has helped students prompt each other if they get caught on the word "venit." My students can comfortably express the superlative "pulcherrimus" in addition to "pulcher" and they learned the family vocabulary quickly in relation to themselves.<br />
<br />
Where do these fit? I interview one student at the beginning of class, then we move on. Sometimes we do vocabulary practice (via Cartoon Olympics or perhaps a silly story that I've made up to get more repetitions in or any other number of things), sometimes we do a pre-reading activity (a dictatio, jigsaw activity, or some other such activity), or sometimes we are reading that day. I consider Discipulus Illustris a warm-up activity to get my students into Latin mode, and they are used to it as such! Plus, since it relates, vocabulary-wise, to what we read, they see the connection.<br />
<br />
Some things I think that are worth noting about the way I do Discipulus Illustris that may differ from the way others do it:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>I don't force students to come to the front of the class</b>. I allow them to, if they want, and I have a special chair for it, but some students are absolutely terrified of the limelight and we are consistently growing our number of special education students. Those students may be comfortable sharing from their seats, but feel differently about being in front of the other students.</li>
<li><b>I encourage students to be silly</b>. There are several things I do to encourage this. I make it a rule that whatever is said in Latin is "true." So if they have twelve lions at home, I don't question it. If they are married to both Arianna Grande and Zendaya, I don't question it. It was said in Latin. I also give some samples when a question threatens to touch on some serious or uncomfortable territory. For example, the same question I mentioned above, "a quo venisti," can put many of my students in a tough spot, since they may or may not be asked a similar question in an implicitly racist (albeit sometimes unintentional) fashion outside my classroom. So I offer several options that let them decide how they want to answer: McDonalds, my bed, Georgia, 1st period, America, etc. That way, some of them really want to delve into the question in a serious way, but some of them have even offered the name of the hospital where they were born, and all of those answers have been validated. When we discuss their families, I ask if their sisters and brothers are good or bad and remind them that the sisters and brothers aren't there to hear them answer. I ask how many wives or husbands they want. Basically, I take questions that could be serious and push them into a different direction while still maintaining the interest of the class and in the same moment create a safer atmosphere for a bunch of teenagers who are still resolving how they want to appear to the world.</li>
<li><b>I keep it short and sweet</b>. No more than 6-7 questions, and we filter in and out questions, keeping only the most popular questions in rotation while removing the ones that just don't get traction and replacing them with new questions that hopefully will intrigue the students while introducing new vocabulary.</li>
</ul>
<div>
This has honestly turned me around on what Discipulus Illustris can be for my classes. I was, at best, luke-warm on the activity, but I really find it to be an essential part of my classes now and I am currently working out the next set of questions with enthusiasm!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-63677187973009808822019-09-11T10:31:00.001-04:002019-09-11T10:31:13.912-04:00Monster Relay RaceOur ones are beginning to get body parts and numbers. I love teaching these things. It is like a free license for me to go crazy with my favourite stories! I love building monsters and playing with ideas like what is the "norm" and expected. Last year, as an example, I wrote stories from Orthrus and Cerberus' perspectives (these are available via our subscription on our website: steppingintoci.com ). They are a pair of brothers (and monsters) who protect various things and can be particularly violent.<br />
<br />
So... of course I jumped at the chance to do something unique this time!<br />
<br />
Enter.... The Monster Relay Race!<br />
<br />
It's part<a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2017/01/theres-more-than-one-way-to-skin.html"> running dictation</a>, part <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2018/09/invisibles-who-what-where-when-how.html">Invisibles</a>, part <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2016/11/coming-full-circle-pliny-and-dictations.html">relay race</a>, and part dice game. I was hoping the kids would enjoy it and it turns out... they ran with it (pun intended). So... let's get down to the nitty gritty.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Basics</h3>
<div>
<ol>
<li><b>Prep Time</b> - ~10-15 minutes</li>
<li><b>Instructional/set up time</b> - ~5 minutes</li>
<li><b>Activity Time </b>- ~1/2 the class</li>
<li><b>Grading Time </b>- As long as you'd like it to be. </li>
<li><b>Supplies Needed</b>:</li>
<ol>
<li>vocab list that includes body parts and numbers</li>
<li>dice (I used 8 sided dice, but you can use any... the more side, the more varied the work you'll get)</li>
<li>coloured eggs (Try the dollar tree or 5 Below. Amazon has them too year round)</li>
<li>a container for your eggs</li>
<li>colouring supplies</li>
</ol>
</ol>
<h3>
Instructions</h3>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>First, students will get into groups of four. They will need the paper with the instructions on it (attached below), and a die. </li>
<li>Second, students choose jobs. The jobs I allowed were:</li>
<ol>
<li>cursor - runs to get an egg</li>
<li>aleator - rolls the die</li>
<li>pictor - draws the image</li>
<li>scriptor - writes the sentences</li>
</ol>
<li>Students race to collect five body parts (in order by coloured egg). </li>
<li>Once they have a body part, they roll the die which tells them how many of that body part are needed in their sentences and picture. </li>
<li>They construct the sentence and the scriptor writes it down.</li>
<li>The pictor draws that body part. </li>
<li>When all five parts are collected, they work as a team to finish the image (background included) and colour it. First team to turn it in, and get it done according to instructions, wins. </li>
</ol>
<h3>
Options/Variants</h3>
</div>
<div>
When kids turned it in to me, I was very strict on what I would accept, given the rules. When I grade it, however, I will be not so strict, considering this was a race. What I looked for was:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>5 body parts with 5 numbers. </li>
<li>5 separate sentences... in Latin.</li>
<li>colour in the image.</li>
<li>a back ground</li>
<li>numbers written out in Latin and spelled correctly (they were written on the board for the students)</li>
</ul>
<div>
This drug out the game a little and allowed groups who process more slowly to catch up to the speedy groups. When I grade these, however, those specifications go out the window. What I'm looking for is:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Does the image and body parts match the sentences in type and number?</li>
<li>Can I understand what they wrote?</li>
</ul>
<div>
I've given some examples below. The captions help clarify these points. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhO4kvQFLoxBnXjAy8GBqLN-HMkzk4cMziSGwXIgy6Ca7DpViXHYpWJcla0r-fUnulDP54T5bb839uQ_7aWmVjeQVhm4tD-QS1FRZUWrWe1h0N-cKPS3PnfQNA8ZLTt2A-O39tBzl4wnY/s1600/IMG_20190911_102628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhO4kvQFLoxBnXjAy8GBqLN-HMkzk4cMziSGwXIgy6Ca7DpViXHYpWJcla0r-fUnulDP54T5bb839uQ_7aWmVjeQVhm4tD-QS1FRZUWrWe1h0N-cKPS3PnfQNA8ZLTt2A-O39tBzl4wnY/s320/IMG_20190911_102628.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the winning group. They were not the first, second or third to try and turn it in, but they were the first to get all my points right!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66XTS1ua1vv6m1kINjnjjMxV2RJfmSJGL6iRXgccKTLUXUhAWPmpEkPbPREl3j4Q2b5rD5YpdpOMcYDx55cvOJ_0pyisrLJK1TbH_66vLJOeC2HgFmFDI3rXaFzhNLtZn9Xv4JiAsm67r/s1600/IMG_20190911_102636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66XTS1ua1vv6m1kINjnjjMxV2RJfmSJGL6iRXgccKTLUXUhAWPmpEkPbPREl3j4Q2b5rD5YpdpOMcYDx55cvOJ_0pyisrLJK1TbH_66vLJOeC2HgFmFDI3rXaFzhNLtZn9Xv4JiAsm67r/s320/IMG_20190911_102636.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This group made their sentences easy to read and super clear! Their image matches very well. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlNKjACHLj1WXeT3SqbRnFBm2EwHwo88rg8F8vghGytuZkRZfTnhdAo-7-hlOz5BAgKbKCGXgHBcrGaz66jJLHvFTi2TWCUVmCJmrji5ula4oroFH0tdoMyuHhAG74Dfk_JiRR88diQqo/s1600/IMG_20190911_102649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlNKjACHLj1WXeT3SqbRnFBm2EwHwo88rg8F8vghGytuZkRZfTnhdAo-7-hlOz5BAgKbKCGXgHBcrGaz66jJLHvFTi2TWCUVmCJmrji5ula4oroFH0tdoMyuHhAG74Dfk_JiRR88diQqo/s320/IMG_20190911_102649.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This group originally wrote 1 sentence. While any other time this would be fine, for the rules of the game, it didn't work. They had to go back and work out what they did. What was really cool, however, is that they ended up varying some sentences and creating some great examples. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z_KzoVBS6ho7HfF5ecsH0XEiXgYuTWicih0LuXKWfwM/edit?usp=sharing">Here is a copy of the paper I made!</a></h4>
Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-64056666267836132092019-08-27T08:15:00.000-04:002019-08-27T08:15:11.541-04:0010 Quick Ideas for a New YearI thought I'd share some ideas and questions I've been working on this year.<br />
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First... some reflective questions for the new year that I have been pondering. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!<br />
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<ol>
<li>How am I going to foster community this year in my classroom?</li>
<li>How can I turn my space into our space?</li>
<li>How can I encourage play and risk taking with the language?</li>
<li>How can I ensure everyone's safety?</li>
<li>How can I engage my students' interests in class?</li>
<li>What privileges do I enter the room with this year?</li>
<li>What struggles are my students facing?</li>
<li>How can I create a space where they feel safe and free to explore?</li>
<li>How can I make a better pot of coffee?</li>
<li>How can I ensure I take care of myself this year?</li>
</ol>
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And, secondly some quick ideas for the new year!</div>
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<ul>
<li>Put up a graffiti wall for students to decorate (courtesy of Christopher Emdin).</li>
<li>Share about yourself. Whatever you ask students to do, you should also be willing to do. </li>
<li>Try out new ideas (AKA future blog posts ;) )</li>
<li>Always offer alternatives for students who need more time to process or who have disabilities/are disabled. </li>
<li>Bring something you love into the classroom.</li>
<li>Try the Fly Swatter Game :) </li>
<li>Consider adding aspects to games that involve chance. Also, consider allowing students who need extra support or extra time with things to be judges in games. You get to go over the material again with them and they get to feel good about what they know. </li>
<li>Research Acceleration (AKA another blog post I'll be writing soon)</li>
<li>Don't tell your kids they are welcome to your room. Tell them they belong. </li>
<li>Go ahead, enjoy that second cup of coffee, or whatever. You deserve it!</li>
</ul>
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What of these topics would you like to see expanded into a blog post or a podcast episode? What about a reflective video? Let me know in the comments below!</div>
</div>
Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-35674907171472203992019-05-15T11:17:00.004-04:002019-05-15T11:17:43.860-04:00Wrap it up already - End of the Year ThoughtsIt snuck up on me. I'll admit it. Last I remember it was just after Spring Break and I was refreshed, renewed, and ready.... ish.<br />
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So, this blog post is set to go alongside our last podcast of the year. <a href="https://anchor.fm/stepping-into-ci">You can listen to it here</a> (or anywhere you get your podcasts). Knowing that, I'll skip the things mentioned in that podcast and focus on a few things I didn't get to discuss really.<br />
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Every year I consider the things I've done and the things I would like to do differently.<br />
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So, what did I do this year? <a href="https://twitter.com/MiriamPatrick">Honestly, the best place to start is my Twitter. </a>I tried to tweet out what my IVs did as often as possible. But, here's a general overview :)<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Adventures gone wrong</b> - We read about Psyche, Orion, Ursa Maior, feles et Venus, and Icarus. Students discussed human qualities, virtues, and mistakes. </li>
<li><b>Rebellion </b>- We focused on women mostly, but we dove deep into this. Students learned the history of Rome including the kings, invasion of Britain, invasion of Masada. We also discussed the role of women, the assault of women, and colonisation. </li>
<li><b>Food</b> - To finish the year, we talked about food. I hit the points needed about Roman food, but we really focused on the foods we love and have history with. Students brought their favourite foods and wrote recipes in Latin. </li>
</ol>
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This year I also focused on community. We did brain breaks, held each other accountable, and implemented a 5 minute check in each day, and were honest with each other. <a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-cogen-first-meeting.html">I met with my cogen</a> group each Friday to make class better.</div>
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So, when considering next year.... I knew I wanted to continue on this trend of community, but make it even better.<br />
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<h3>
A slight detour?</h3>
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Last week, our neighbours brought to us a tiny kitten. She came to us shivering, covered in fleas, with worms, and without a meow. She wasn't more than 6 weeks old. So, we did what we could. We gave her a bath, dewormed her, wrapped her in a warm blanket, and started her on infant formula and kitten food. By day 3, she had started to come out of hiding and trusted us enough to eat in front of us. By day 5... she had her meow (and knew how to use it), had learned the litter box, and had started to play. </div>
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Generally, she cannot be around our other animals because she isn't vaccinated yet and needs to grow a bit more before she can play with the others... She is also feral. She's never been inside a house, neither had her mother, and she knew nothing of the human world, except to avoid it at all costs. So, every day, one of us wraps her up and carries her through the house as we do chores. She experienced making coffee yesterday (as an example). We make it fun... we feed her on a variety of surfaces, play with her while we do other things, and let her crawl on us to get a better view of whatever we are doing. To her... it's a game, but to us... she is learning vital skills. </div>
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She is learning how to interact with other animals and humans in an appropriate way. She is learning boundaries and how to respect them. She is learning self care and self defence. </div>
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/05/08/kindergarten-teacher-why-our-youngest-learners-are-doomed-right-out-gate-road-map-fix-it/?utm_term=.f56455eaefe7">So, what does this have to do with teaching?</a></div>
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And so... THIS is my focus next year: play. I don't know how it will all work out, but I want to have fun next year as much as possible. I want kids to leave smiling every day, as often as possible. I want kids to walk in, even if they've had a bad day, and know that they are in a safe place where they will be able to enjoy what we do. </div>
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We've already taken steps for this:</div>
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<ul>
<li>FVR - free voluntary reading</li>
<li>Student Choice in activities and topics we read</li>
<li>using a variety of CI activities that allow students to move at their own pace, or move at all, etc. </li>
<li>brain breaks</li>
</ul>
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So, what changes am I making?</div>
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<div>
<ul>
<li>Getting rid of timed writes - I am making a move to free writes. No more timing. </li>
<li>FVR changes - I don't know exactly yet... but I want to make it more free and more fun</li>
<li>Sensory corner - I plan to have a corner of supplies, and sensory materials for students who need them</li>
<li>outside time - I want to do more outside. I want to play with chalk. I want to go on walks. I want to MOVE</li>
<li>more stuffed animal time</li>
</ul>
<div>
These are just ideas, but I am really glad I've chosen this focus. Watching Mian (the kitteh) learn how to cat is inspiring and I love watching her grow.... I want the same for my students. </div>
</div>
Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-21823567099918966402019-01-31T09:52:00.001-05:002019-01-31T09:52:41.974-05:00The Cogen - A Life of Its OwnLast Friday, my school laptop broke, in the middle of teaching. I was devastated. Part of my anxiety is the need to please others and not disappoint anyone, so this was a big moment for me. I held it all in until I finally spoke to the guy in charge and then a full on panic attack ensued.<br />
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I finally gathered myself enough to walk back into my room, not caring at that point that my face was bright red and my eyes were fully puffy, and not caring that I was about 3 minutes late to class, expecting to find my class chit chatting and waiting for me. However...<br />
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When I walked into the room, I saw the kids of my cogen group leading the class in our five minute check-in. They'd taken it upon themselves to set a phone timer and start class without me. Those few extra minutes let me calm down even more, get class ready, and get to just exist and watch my kids build the community we'd been working for all year. I nearly started crying again, but out of gratitude.<br />
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Fast forward to Thursday (today). We had an unexpected snow day on Tuesday, so we postponed our cogen meeting until Thursday. I picked up a variety of donuts for our meeting and I admit I was starting to feel a little more confident about this whole thing.<br />
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Like clockwork, students started filing in. They grabbed some breakfast and joined each other in the circle, catching up on life's events. Eventually, I joined and we checked in with each other and how things were going.<br />
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I thanked them for their help last Friday and those who took a more passive role in it thanked those who were actively leading. They all said they noticed my stress level and decided to just help out. I reiterated how helpful it actually was.<br />
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The question today was moreso what we could all do to keep each other and the students engaged. What they discussed was how Latin time is helpful, especially when I ask direct questions and hold them accountable. I appreciated this feedback, and admitted I was also looking for something they could do to help each other. We decided to continue the conversation next week.<br />
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At this point, we'll be starting phase 2 of the cogen. I asked the group who would like to invite someone from the class to our meeting. They were to be someone from our class who was not already involved. We talked about how this person (who invited them) would then phase out of the cogen and have a job in the classroom. One of the girls volunteered to take on this role.<br />
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Next week, we'll meet and we'll start this first round of transitions.<br />
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Update: Today, I came into 3rd period to find our computer guy waiting for me. He and I were talking and I watched the same students start the check in again. The Cogen officially has a life of its own.<br />
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Resources:<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Folks-Teach-Hood-Rest/dp/0807028029/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548246862&sr=8-2&keywords=for+white+folks+who+teach+in+the+hood">For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too</a></i></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/chrisemdin">Christopher Emdin's Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/BobPatrick">Bob Patrick's Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://inclusivelatinclassroomblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/that-problem-class-part-1-in-a-series/">Bob Patrick's first blog post in his series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://inclusivelatinclassroomblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/that-problem-class-part-2-in-a-series/">Bob Patrick's second blog post in his series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-cogen-first-meeting.html">My first post in this series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://pomegranatebeginnings.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-cogen-here-we-go-again.html">My second post in this series</a></li>
</ol>
<br />Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7372244552588469181.post-75144127186168193842019-01-25T04:30:00.000-05:002019-01-25T04:30:14.625-05:00The Cogen: Here We Go AgainI crawled into bed the other night when it hit me, "I have a cogen in the morning and I forgot to get goodies at the store!" In my state of panic, my partner reminded me that I could pick up snacks while getting a cup of coffee on my way in. Cogen = saved.<br />
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I got to my room and set up the circle and snacks and I waited.<br />
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By 7:05 we had two of the four ready for the cogen. We surmised that the other two had forgotten, which I nearly had myself, so we proceeded to discuss.<br />
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<h3>
The Review</h3>
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We briefly checked in on last week's meeting and what we had discussed. The students remarked that they felt like just the fact that we had met had already changed the classroom culture. That they were serving as models for other students and that the atmosphere was already changing. They also remarked at how well the daily check ins were going and reiterated how much they liked them. </div>
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<h3>
The Discussion</h3>
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Today we addressed two questions. The first pertained to class today. We will be doing a read, discuss, and draw and I inquired about how they wanted to do brain breaks. Whether they wanted to let me know when they were ready, or if they preferred I set a timer. They commented that they really like class and sometimes we get so into things, that we don't realise we need a brain break, so we agreed today I'd set timers. </div>
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The second question was "What could I be doing more of in class". They reiterated that check-ins are going well and then they told me their favourite brain breaks so we could use them more often in class. </div>
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Lastly, after speaking to Bob about his cogen, I decided to propose the idea of a remind or Groupme to help with communication. They agreed. So, we'll set one up during class today so we can remind each other of our meetings. </div>
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As we were wrapping up. The students offered to bring food next time so that I wouldn't have to. I offered to bring food if they brought drinks to share. It was a nice ending to a wonderful meeting</div>
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<h3>
Reflection</h3>
<div>
In the moments between arriving at school and starting the cogen, I still find myself quite anxious. I still want this to go really well and I am still unsure of myself. So, before the meeting I reread Emdin's section on the meetings, questions, and follow up and prepared myself. </div>
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I felt a sense of (maybe) relief, but moreso camaraderie and "family" (if you will) when the students not only expressed happiness but took ownership of the meeting in offering to bring food. It made me feel that not only was this going well, but that the students were feeling a sense of family too - and that doing this was not only going to continue to go well, but was something we <i>should</i> and <i>would</i> continue through the year. </div>
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Over the next two meetings, we'll begin to move to the next phase of the cogen. I am excited to see how it goes and will continue to share my experience. Check out the resources below which include both Christopher Emdin's contact, Bob Patrick's contact, and Bob's own reflections on his cogen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
-----------------------------------<br />
Resources:<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Folks-Teach-Hood-Rest/dp/0807028029/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548246862&sr=8-2&keywords=for+white+folks+who+teach+in+the+hood">For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too</a></i></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/chrisemdin">Christopher Emdin's Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/BobPatrick">Bob Patrick's Twitter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://inclusivelatinclassroomblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/that-problem-class-part-1-in-a-series/">Bob Patrick's first blog post in his series</a></li>
<li><a href="https://inclusivelatinclassroomblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/that-problem-class-part-2-in-a-series/">Bob Patrick's second blog post in his series</a></li>
</ol>
Miriam Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956636761663820014noreply@blogger.com0