The Outsiders

Dodge Community Walk

The TPACK Alliance

Strategies for Language Arts

In the L.A. classroom I cannot live without:

-Writers' Workshop
-Think-Pair-Share
-Reading Circles

Parlez-vous Français? UBD Stage One

Gaining Verbal Confidence in your French Language Skills

UBD Stage 1

Summary of Curricular Context: 

This lesson is for a level two French classroom.  In this lesson, students will be asked to create a French dialogue with a partner. Through this activity,  students will learn to answer open ended questions, first by writing the dialogue, then filming it as an interview with a partner to practice fluency and gain confidence.  Students will need to have learned how to answer basic questions pertaining to themselves as well as how to ask relevant questions to a peer in a “getting to know you” format. 

Standard / Objectives for Unit or Lesson: 

28.B.2a Pose questions spontaneously in structured situations.

28.B.2b Produce language using proper pronunciation, intonation and inflection.

28.D.2a Write on familiar topics using appropriate grammar, punctuation and capitalization.

28.D.2c Present an original production (e.g., TV commercials, ads, skits, songs) using known vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Lesson Goal: 

Students will answer six open ended questions in both written and verbal forms.  Students will gain fluency and verbal confidence in the language.

Stage 1

Enduring Understandings 

 

1. Many aspects of communication are common to all languages.
2. Speaking a second language is a valuable asset. 
3. There are many ways to define who we are. 

Essential Questions 

1. Why do people communicate?
2. What makes a good question?
3. How does culture affect identity?

Knowledge

The six question words (Qui, Que ce que, Quand, Ou, Comment, Pourqoi)

“About Me” vocabulary

French question/sentence structure

Interview format 

Verb endings depend on the subject and the tense

French nouns have  genders

Skills

Conjugating the verbs Etre, Avoir, Aimer, Aller in present and past tenses

Working in pairs effectively 

Using a French-English dictionary 

Using a Bescherelle (verb book)

Creating and editing an iMovie

Pronounce written French

Xtra(not so)Normal

O Captain My Captain: An Excellent Teacher

In Dead Poet's Society, Robin Williams plays an unconventional teacher who is determined to teach his students to "suck the marrow out of life."  He acknowledges the way students have been taught before and then provides them with a new lens to view the same dry old material.  While keeping the class lighthearted with jokes and accents, Williams delivers a serious message that every once and while, you need to look at the world from a new perspective.  It is clear that this is not a teacher intent on wasting students' time.  More than that, his students know their time is not being wasted! With a teacher that keeps them guessing,  the students are always on their toes.  This creates a learning environment of excitement and possibility.   It is in this type of environment that standing on a desk seems a perfectly acceptable end to a lesson.  This is the sort of classroom I want to have; a class where the unimaginable seems to fit just perfectly.

A Little Gagne For You...

Lesson - How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Gange’s Event of Instruction

1.Gain Attention -When students come into class, they will have 8 minutes to write on the journal topic on the board: “Think of a time you have been persuaded to change your mind about something.  It could be something small or something that has had a major influence on your life.  What was it that made you change your mind?  Be prepared to discuss your response.”

2.Establish purpose -Today you are going to learn how to write a persuasive essay.  It is important to be able to tie all of your ideas together in a way that makes sense to your readers and convinces them that your point of view is a valid one. By using this format, your will be able to better express the things you believe in and are passionate about.

3.Stimulate recall of prior learning - Discuss the journal topic.  Go over the order of the lesson on slide of powerpoint (Diagram of parts of a persuasive essay during which they need to take notes, “Green Eggs and Ham”, Create an outline for your own persuasive essay...topic to be revealed at the end of class!) 

4.Present content-Diagram the parts of the persuasive essay on the board.  Students will have a copy of the diagram in front of them.  I will ask students what they think needs to go in each section, facilitating the discussion and filling in the master diagram. 

5.Guided learning -As a class, we will make an outline for a persuasive essay on Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham (from Sam’s point of view.)  We will watch a speed reading version on YouTube (approx 2 mins), I will also have the book on hand.

6.Elicit performance- Students will create an outline for the topic below, following the persuasive essay format.  Students will have the rest of the class period to work on their outlines.  The final paper will be due in three days time.

TOPIC -  Have you every wanted a climbing club? A dance club? A fear factor club? Pick one after school activity we do not currently offer and persuade the principal that it would be  a great addition to our school.  

7.Provide feedback - As students work on their outlines, teach will take time to conference with each student and check that they are on the right track. 

8.Assess performance- The final essay will be graded according to the rubric provided.  Students must turn in their outlines as well as their final paper.  They will also be asked to fill out a rubric for themselves and turn it in.

9.Enhance retention - At the end of the class period, students will write on their exit ticket notecard the segments of a persuasive essay (in order!) along with any questions they have. They will hand this card to the teacher on the way out. 




Rubric for Persuasive Essay Assignment

	3	2	1	Score/Comments
Objective Statement	The objective statement provides a clear, statement of the author's position on the topic.	The objective statement provides a statement of the author's position on the topic.	The objective statement does not exist.
Presentation of Evidence	At least three, clear pieces of evidence are given to support the author’s objective statement	Two pieces of evidence are given to support the author’s objective statement	One piece or no evidence supports the author’s objective statement
Conclusion	The conclusion restates the author’s objective and summarizes evidence. It ends with a POWER sentence!	The conclusion restates the author’s objective .	There is no clear conclusion.
Submission Format	Essay is submitted on time with outline and self-evaluation attached.	Essay is submitted on time with the outline or the self-evaluation attached	Essay is late and is missing the attachments completely
Spelling and Grammar	There are no spelling or grammatical errors.	There are five or fewer spelling or grammatical errors.	There are over five errors

                                                                                                     Total Score ________________

ADDIE

A Philosophy on Education

Education is the ultimate gentleman in the sense that it will always open doors for you.   The role of the teacher is to ensure that you know how to meet this particular gentleman.   By connecting curriculum to students’ backgrounds and interests, teachers bring education directly into students’ lives in lieu of having students make the long and sometimes abstract journey to education’s doorstep.  

A teacher is, by necessity, a community figure.   By knowing the surrounding community, teachers are able to connect students to a variety of resources outside of the classroom.   Partnerships with parents, youth groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, coaches, and other after school program can help the teacher hold students to higher standards by creating a greater web of accountability.

To be an effective teacher I believe you must be passionate, dedicated, and patient.  Any job requires a certain amount of passion, but to walk into a classroom everyday with the goal of impacting lives necessitates a great deal of it.   An excellent teacher knows their students and plans lessons with their interests in mind.  Each student is going to walk into the classroom with a different set of background experiences, no two will be the same. Why then would we ever expect them to all learn in the same way? All students can learn if the teacher will take the time to figure out how.  Students deserve to be seen as individual learners, and as teachers we must go out of our way to treat them as such.

Students learn best when they feel they are a valuable member of a learning community.   The teacher is responsible for creating an environment where students feel comfortable sharing questions as well as answers.  Students will be more engaged in class if they know the teacher identifies them as people and not just as an “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”,  or “F”.

I want my students to be confident in who they are.  I want them to wake up in the morning and think, “Wow, I’m awesome.”  Through this confidence, my aspiration for each of my students is that they would set high goals for themselves and that together we would map out the steps it will take to achieve them.  My students will not be afraid of hard work and will view it as essential to becoming the best professor/astronaut/mechanic/trapeze artist they can be. 

The role of a teacher is to create a community of learners, where every voice is heard and every diverse talent is celebrated. It is the teacher’s responsibility to demonstrate what it means to be a responsible, respectful citizen. Above all, a teacher is an adult who cares about what is going to happen to a child. This is why I joined the profession. I care. 

First Blog Post!