IES's new mission: comprehension

The IES, the research branch of the Department of Education, has just posted a "competition" to investigate comprehension in grades K-12.  Read about it at EdWeek here.

Bubbl.us

Do you like Inspiration software? It's "mind-mapping" that helps students (and you) think visually. There's a web-based (free) program called Bubble.us that helps kid mind-map. And, of course, because it's web-based, you can share and collaborate. Check it out here: http://www.bubbl.us/index

Podcasts for Encouraging Reading

NCTE's ReadWriteThink has a monthly podcast called "Text Messages" that are short book talks about high interests reads. I'm posting it because it might be a good place to get ideas for kids and because it might be a good model for a PROJECT for kids. Find examples here (under "podcasts and videos"). Here's the description at the site:

Text Messages: Recommendations for Adolescent ReadersText Messages is a
monthly podcast providing families, educators, out-of-school practitioners, and
tutors reading recommendations they can pass along to teen readers. Each episode
will feature an in-depth recommendation of one title as well as suggestions of
several other related books or films that will engage and excite teen
readers.

Common Text idea...

This from Jim Burke's Twitter page today (don't ask!)

• What would happen if kids chose their own books all year and the common text was a textbook we worked with largely in class? costs/benefits?

Lost Generation Video

You might have already seen this viral youtube video called "The Lost Generation." It came out of an AARP comptetition that asked people do define their generation. It's VERY clever. Thanks Chris, for sending me the link!

Online English Teacher Book Club

Here’s a professional development idea for you, especially if you’re a teacher of writing. I have blogged about the English Companion website (fabulous!) started by Jim Burke. He just sent me the following email about an online book club/discussion led by the authors of hip English teachery books. (Okay… he sent it to 2999 other people, too.)

Read the email in blue. If you’re interested, let me know. I’ll buy the book/s for you.

(fyi - Visit English Companion at: http://englishcompanion.ning.com)

A message to all members of English Companion

To celebrate hitting three thousand members (in only three months!), I want to announce the start of the English Companion Ning Book Club. EC Ning Book Club books will be:
- short and affordable so people can actually do the reading and participate in the discussion
- invite discussion from everyone regardless of grade level
- related to some aspect of teaching English language arts
- written by an author who is committed to leading and participating in the discussion over the course of the reading
- good reads! Interesting!

Our first book meets all these criteria and is written by someone we have all gotten to know from her many contributions to the EC Ning from its first days. Maja Wilson’s book Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment, recipient of the James Britton Research Award .
How will it work?
- Maja will post something of a frame or opening posting to guide our reading of the book on April 1st.
- I will set up a Group for this and future Book Club books (I have already talked with Kelly Gallagher about making Readicide the next EC Ning Book Club selection).
- Maja will set the reading schedule for us, but the chapters are short and each invites a good discussion, so I would imagine she might suggest a chapter a week.
- Discussion will be through a Group discussion format with the possibility of a final live Chat session if we think that would be useful and fun (and doable).

Frame Assignments to Engage Students

In her chapter, "Getting ideas for Units and Making the Unit Blossom" in Both Art and Craft: Teaching Ideas That Spark Learning, Diana Mitchell outlines six different questions that she uses to frame assignments for her students:

1. Can I change a point of view?
2. Can I bring someone else in to speak to the class?
3. Can I encourage students to think of characters in new ways?
4. Can I encourage stduents to extend what is in the story?
5. Can I identify new formats in which students can respond?
6. Can I identify issues in stories that connect to the students' lives? (28-29)

Joyce Carol Oates to Speak at Elmhurst College, March 19

Oates' talk will begin at 7:30 in the Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, located at 190 Prospect Avenue in Elmhurst. Stephanie Hiffman might show you around her house, too.

Hallway presence before and after school

Kevin has requested that I share the following. There was a recent fight in the halls during which it took a long time for adults to get involved. Kevin is requesting that I ask English teachers to be present in the hallways 15-20 minutes before and after school to the extent that this is reasonably possible.

Read Across America -- Book Raffle

Congratulations to the winners today’s book raffle:

Beijing Coma – Jian Ma -Fehrman
Red Azalea – Anchee Min --Krucoff
The Gathering – Anne Enright -- Palmquist
Onitsha – Le Clezio -- Lange
Snow – Orhan Pamuk -- Saunders
Blindness – Jose Saramao -- Bujan
Soul Mountain – Gao Xingjian -- Aurich
Fasting, Feasting – Anita Desai -- Colianni
Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates -- Hicks
The Box Man – Kobo Abe -- Dunlavy
Kafka on the Shore – Haruki Marukami --Grady
The Reader – Bernhard Schlink -- Stob
The Piano Teacher – Elfried Jelinek -- Barone
Mr. Potter – Jamaica Kincaid -- Sangwa

If you didn’t win, let the winners know you would like to read their book when they are finished.

Visual Literacy -- film

I just received a package of materials (DVD, lesson plans, poster) about using Academy-award-winning movies to teach visual literacy. The DVD has selected scenes from a ton of movies -- Fast and Furious, Erin Brockovich, Philadelphia, Harold and Maude, Reber without a Cause, The Nutty Professor, Fast times, Boyz n the Hood (others). Interested in review the materials? Let me know! I'd love for someone to give it a close look.

Literacy 2.0 is everywhere

Including the March 2009 issue of Educational Leadership. I've read the lead article: "Orchestrating the Media Collage," in which author Jason Ohler says, "New media demand new literacies," and gives the following 8 guidelines for teachers:

1. Shift from text centrism to media collage
2. Value writing and reading now more than ever
3. Adopt ART as the next R
4. Blend traditional and emerging literacies
5. Harness report and story ("creative nonfiction" "blend research and storytelling")
6. Practice private and participatory social literacy
7. Develop literacy with digital tools and about digital tools
8. Pursue fluency (not just basic literacy)

If you're interested in "new literacies" -- visual literacy, media studies, film study -- come check the issue out.

Celebrity authors coming to HC next year!

Why not involve your students? The library is close to “signing” 3 or 4 exciting young authors to visit next year. I think it would be great to use books by these authors in our classrooms next year. That could mean summer reading choices, lit circle choices, extra credit outside reads, etc. Here are the authors: Jon Green (An Abundance of Catherines), Gene Yang (American Born Chinese… my favorite graphic novel by far), Terry Truman (Stuck in Neutral). This is a GREAT opportunity to get kids excited about the literary life. Kids will be able to meet authors, get books signed, hear a presentation, etc. If you have some interest, talk to me, talk to your team members. I think there are ways to do it as a team, or by yourself or in small groups.