What In Tarnation?!?!?

Today I was out of the class for a day of Four Blocks training. All the third grade teachers got together for the training. As a change of pace, the training was actually worthwhile. Not only did the presenter go over the Four Blocks Framework but she also gave practical tips and activities that I could start using tomorrow… if I could remember them. There was so much information jammed into the training, I always seem to forget more than I remember.

While going over the the self selected reading block, we discussed the teacher read aloud. Aptly named, the teacher read aloud is the 5-8 minutes in the day when the teacher reads something to the class. This is a good way for a teacher to “bless” a book, kids instantly become interested in a book if the teacher is going to read it. It is also a good time to model thinking and reading strategies to students. After we got through the academic discussion of reading aloud we turned to the… for lack of a better word, emotional element. There is something special about being read to. Something inside of us just enjoys it.

A few examples:

Two weeks we were the first class to go to lunch. That is good because the earliest class has more time to eat but that class also looses between 5 and 10 minutes of instruction time in the classroom. I cut the teacher read aloud for that week. Everyday, at least one child would ask if I was going to read Sideways Stories from Wayside School (the book I was reading at the time). Last week we were last to lunch so I had plenty of time to do the teacher read aloud. Monday of that week, when I pulled out Sideways Stories… you would have thought that it was Christmas or that I was giving them extra recess at the very least. They look forward to being read to.

The person leading the training told a story about a high school teacher that she worked with through the STAR teacher program. When the high school teacher was back in her high school writing class, she decided that she would use about five minutes of class time to read to the high school seniors in her class. The first time she did it, she asked her class, including the huge football players to sit on the floor to listen to her read. But not just a regular high school level book, a children’s book. As you can imagine, the reaction was less than stellar; she did finally get them to do it. Everyday, she repeated this routine and everyday the high school seniors would sit on the floor and listen to their teacher read a children’s book. After some time had passed, a day came about when she was not able to do the teacher read aloud with the class. The biggest high school senior in the class came up to the teacher and whispered, “Um, are you going to read to us today?”

No matter who is involved, there is something special about reading to or being read to. Whether it is a teacher to her students, a student to his or her teacher, a parent to a child, and visa versa, there is something very comforting about it.

So when was the last time you read to someone, or someone read to you?

(I sure wish I had a microphone on the ole computer so I could read this entry and then post it for you to download, but alas, I don’t.)

Class dismissed!

Found a quiz at the LivingRoom:

Are You A Blogaholic?

YOUR SCORE
52.0% 52.0 points out of 100

AVG SCORE
43.1% 43.1 points out of 100

7700 people have taken this silly test so far.

2051 people have scored higher than you.

5027 people have scored lower than you.

622 people made the same grade as you.

What does this mean? *
52 points is in the 51 through 80 percent
You are a dedicated weblogger. You post frequently because you enjoy weblogging a lot, yet you still manage to have a social life. You’re the best kind of weblogger. Way to go!

* These results are just for fun. Do not sue me. Have a sense of humor.

If you are a blogger, take the quiz and tell me about your results in the comments.
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A big giant kudos to one of my favorite bloggers, Bryan McAnally of Clarity amidst Chaos. He is celebrating his blogging birthday.

I agree with Jen, it is time to give blog*spot the boot.
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New Season Round-Up I

Good Stuff

The Practice - I didn’t think that I would like it with half of the cast missing, but the new attorney is great. He has this uppity attitude that should go against everyone. He should make a good foil for the remaining cast.

Alias - Another series that has totally shaken up its premise. This season starts out with so many juicy questions. Is the bad guy really good? Who is the father of the baby? Why was Syd hacking up the man on the video? Just what happened in the two years that we missed? I can’t wait to find out!

Survivor - This season has the potential to be the best season yet. The pirate theme was a stroke of genius.

Joan of Arcadia - This show has the potential of being my favorite new series of the season. I just love the family dynamic that has been set up. That alone makes this series worthwhile.

Everwood - My surprise favorite series of last year has made some gutsy changes, killing a major character which got rid of some of the dramatic thrust behind the series. It hasn’t lost any of it’s quality.

Still Enjoyable

Ed
Boston Public

Not the Best, On Cut List

The Lyon’s Den - Oooops, I don’t care about any of the characters. The conspiracy plot… yawn!

CSI - In the past season, CSI has become obsessed with the sex crimes, for some reason, I am not interested in them, I turn the channel during the commercial and never turn back.

Not Seen Yet (Haven’t gotten around to it yet.)

The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire
Friends
The West Wing
Boomtown
Enterprise

Yet to Air

24
Angel
Smallville

Class dismissed!

From the intimate to the inane, people have posted personal accounts to the Internet for as long as there’s been an Internet. But the explosion of weblogging, or “blogging,” as it’s called, has greatly simplified the process. No longer does a geek with a love of, say, Star Trek fan fiction need to spend weeks poring through HTML manuals, buying software, and building a Web site to share his passion with the world. With the emergence of sites such as Blogger, Movable Type, and LiveJournal, among others, posting to the Web is as simple as typing text into a box and pushing a button.

It’s easy, it’s free, and it’s gotten a lot of attention—at least in some circles. Politically minded blogs, essentially the musings of armchair pundits whose powers of perception range from astute to sub literate, credit themselves with everything from furthering pet causes to the emergence of Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean. Anonymous bloggers in Iraq and Iran have offered idiosyncratic glimpses into their countries, as have similar sites created by U.S. soldiers garrisoned in hotspots from Kabul to Tikrit. These sites draw the most eyeballs, but the majority of blogs are personal journals, and many degenerate into solipsistic, random exercises in navel-gazing. That the term “blogging” sounds vaguely like an intestinal condition, while unintended, seems aptly appropriate.

From an article entitled “This Time, It’s Personal” by Mark Toner in Teacher Magazine (October 2003)

This article is about educators who have personal blogs. In my opinion, it highlights some pretty great teacher blogs: Teacher: Year One (2002) by Jeanne Edna Thelwell, Pam Pritchard’s EduBlog News, the dubious TardBlog (not one of my favorites, a warning for the reader, TardBlog has some controversial material on it), and your very own What in Tarnation?!?!?.

Sometime in July I received an e-mail from Teacher Magazine’s senior editor, Mark Toner, asking if he could interview me for an article that he was writing about teachers with a personal blog. After debating for awhile, I decided that it might be fun. Mr. Toner and I had a good conversation over the phone. The result can be found in the above article. You can read the full article with free registration. There is some language in the article that some people might offensive.

Class dismissed!

Dave King from IdeaJoy interviewing me. You get to join in on the fun.

You are an endangered species, the male elementary school teacher. Any thoughts on how other teachers, students & parents react to you as a man in a woman’s world?
Good question! One that deserves more time and thought that I am going to give it right now. There are actually three male teachers in my building (including me), but we are definitely in the minority. We aren’t treated too much differently by our female counterparts with a few exceptions: when talk turns to female issues, they take a few seconds to realize that there is a male in their presence they grow real quite, creating a awkward lull. In college, where the male/female ratio was even worse, they didn’t care if I was around or not. I learned a lot those years, not all of it I wanted to learn. Ahem.

Students want joke around with me more than other teachers, but I don’t think that has anything to do with my gender, just my personality and how I run my class. I have had some male students in the past that do not respond to female teachers, but they do to male teachers.

Some parents think that I am some behavioral miracle worker, they think that I will solve all of the behavioral issues that their child has. That is funny. Students respond to some teachers better than others, that is just the way it is. Occasionally gender might have something to do with that, but I don’t think that it is a major factor in most students.

Oh, and when I use the teacher’s restroom, I make sure the toilet seat goes up when it needs to, and down when it needs to. It could be painful for me if I didn’t.

My worst moment in teaching was catching students cheating. What’s your worst teaching moment?

Those moment when I think about those kids that would have different lives in different home environments.

Also high on the list: Talking to parents with children with low IQs but don’t qualify for extra assistance. It can be difficult to explain that a child is going to have to work twice as hard to earn the same grades as his peers, but the school can’t really do anything in the way for providing services for that child, apart from some Title I classes.

I’m a hard marker, in part cause I’ve failed courses and survived. Plus after school, no one asks to see your grades. How do you see the role of grades in education?
Sometimes that depends on my mood when I am grading, but normally go down middle of the road. Sometimes, there might be an IEP involved which may dictate how I grade, though normally that is handled though other modifications.

There are some things in which I am pretty tyrannical. Complete sentences, spelling of our word wall words, correct use of capital letters, to name a few.

Across Canada most elementary schools run from Sept. to June. Why does your school year run from August till May?
I live in a rural area. The larger urban schools have a schedule similar to the one that you have. The early start was originally for kids who came from families that made livings off of farming and agriculture. Parents were able to put the kids to work on the farm in May. That is not a really big factor these days. Let me investigate this question more… To be continued…

Would you like to have kids of your own?
Maybe one day… Right now I like going home to no kids after spending the day with them.
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Bene is having some fun with a multiple intelligence quiz. I should probably whip up a post about MI. I’ll put that on my to do list, in the mean time tell me about your top two intelligences according to the quiz in the comments.

Here are my results:

Musical thinkers:

• Tend to think in sounds, and may also think in rhythms and melodies.
• Are sensitive to the sounds and rhythms of words as well as their meanings.
• Feel a strong connection between music and emotions.

Other Musical Thinkers include
Mozart, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix

Careers which suit Musical Thinkers include
Musician, Music teacher, Sound engineer, Recording technician

And…

Existential thinkers:

• Like to spend time thinking about philosophical issues such as “What is the meaning of life?”
• Try to see beyond the ‘here and now’, and understand deeper meanings
• Consider moral and ethical implications of problems as well as practical solutions

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Props to the folks who can tell me the name of the movie that I swiped the title for this entry from.

Class dismissed!

Reading instruction has been a hotly debated subject in education circles for some time, especially in those younger, foundational years. There are all kinds of programs and methods out there that claim to be the cure all to help schools get kids reading on or above grade level. Two of the major schools of thought have been phonics and whole language.

Phonics is what is called a bottom, top approach. Students start with the sounds created by letters, diphthongs, digraphs, and blends (stated more simply, the beginning sounds and the rest of the word.) They learn to blend those sounds to create words. Words to sentences, sentences to paragraphs, and so on. Hopefully, kids won’t be so busy decoding words and miss the meaning of the text.

The frequently maligned Whole Language takes the opposite approach, a top, bottom approach. Teachers try to instill into students an appreciation in literature. They expose children to all kinds of text. Meaning and comprehension emphasized.

In isolation, these techniques do one thing well but they leave large gapping holes in reading instruction. Good teachers have been using elements of both in their reading instruction creating what is called a balanced literacy approach.

In the past couple of years an new approach has been developed. Four Blocks takes was is good from several approaches, adds a few things, and creates a framework for reading instruction that is balanced. (Please note that Four Blocks is used in primary grades though is has been modified for intermediate grades and a program called Building Blocks has been developed for Kindergarten classrooms.)

Many schools (including mine) are switching to the Four Blocks model because t No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to be using a balanced literacy model that is based on research. If you have children in the primary grades you may have heard about the program. If you are a preservice teacher, I hope that you are hearing about it and if not I would recommend looking into it.

Four blocks is based of four different components. These components are listed below with a short description.

Guided Reading
Teachers choose the reading material. The material may or may not be on a child’s reading level. The purpose of Guided Reading is for teachers to model reading strategies in a whole group, small group or individual settings. The reading material should be selected from a wide variety of genres. Teachers can introduce children to new types of literature and they can help promote comprehension and understanding. Activities are planned for before, during, and after the reading.

Self Selected Reading
During the Self Selected Reading block, children pick what they will read generally within their zone of proximal development (where they can read independently with some support). One of the main ideas behind this block is simple, get kids reading. Generally, the more kids read, the better they get. This block is highly individualized. Teachers keep tabs on students through 2 or 3 reading conferences a day. Self Selected Reading includes a Teacher Read-Aloud, Student reading and conferences and a time for students to share with the large group, what they are reading.

Writing
The Writing block is also individualized. Student are writing their own items during most of this block. Students get a writing mini-lesson in which the teacher will focus on one skill while the teacher models writing for the students. Students begin writing and have conferences with the teacher to discuss progress. Students will write on a wide variety of topics, taking most works from prewriting to publish. Finally, a few students will share with the class what they are writing. Students are writing in this block, but the real purpose for the writing block is to help teach kids how to read better. The better writers in a class, are most likely going to be the better readers and visa versa.

Working With Words
Children focus on learning to read and write high frequency words. Students learn patterns that are important for decoding and spelling words. This is where phonics show up in instruction. During the Working with Words block children go through a daily word wall routine including on the back activities in which children a required to spell other words with the patterns displayed in the word wall. A second word wall activity is done. Spelling tests are not encouraged in the four blocks framework but in my school, I do use a separate spelling curriculum that includes a test.

Is Four Blocks the cure all for reading instruction? No. The cure all involves some many things. Too numerous to list, but it is a good way to organize a reading program. I like it so far.

If you are familiar with Four Blocks, leave you favorite Four Blocks websites in the comments.
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There is a new superhero in town. First an action figure, now be on the look out for a movie!

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?
Caedmon’s Call has been my favorite group for some time now. I should also include Derek Webb.

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?
Any musician or singer that is associated with a steel guitar hurts me. Physically. Country singers that use insipid lyrics also need to be hung by their toe nails. And Marilyn Manson.

3. If your favorite singer wasn’t in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?
I think I would. Caedmon’s Call has a friend stage presences that makes you feel welcome. I like their chatting between songs. It is as if you are sittin’ around and just talking. I imagine them to be like that off stage as well. But again, that is just imagining.

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?
Yes. Several. The productions values on Carmen’s song The Champion are something to behold at a concert, AND some how they make Carmen’s voice all demony. Now that’s a concert. Ah, wait, I didn’t write that.

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from downloading free music?
Well downloading music is illegal. Technically it is stealing intellectual property. In reality, I find it difficult to have pity on the music industry. I don’t think bullying the little guy is going to help or create much sympathy. On more than one occasion, I have gone out and bought a CD becuase I downloaded a song and liked it.

I think Apple’s Music Store is heading in the right direction. Now if I just had a Mac.

Well WIT and the other Gone Ape blogs were down most of the day on Wednesday. There was a fire in the building that houses our server and it caused the sites to be unavailable. Everything is back to normal. Whew, I was going through withdraw.

Now on with the randomness…
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Tomorrow is the day that everyone has been waiting for. Yup, September 19 is Talk Like A Pirate Day. So all you lubbers out there, get out the grog and the hornpipe and celebrate!

Here is my pirate personality type:

You are The Cap’n!

Some men are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any man that stands between them and the mantle of power. You never met a man you couldn’t eviscerate. Not that mindless violence is the only avenue open to you - but why take an avenue when you have complete freeway access? You are the definitive Man of Action. You are James Bond in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. Your swash was buckled long ago and you have never been so sure of anything in your life as in your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off their head if they show any sign of taking you on or backing down. You cannot be saddled with tedious underlings, but if one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones’ locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.

What’s Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

Thanks to Lance for the link.
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Speaking of pirates. I think the new season of Survivor is going to be fun, I love the pirate theme. My favorite contestants: Rupert (aka Hagrid) and Sandra. Death to the Morgan Tribe!
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So is spleling all thet imporatnt? The raelly importnat thnig is the frist and lsat letetr. At least according to a study by Cmabrigde Uinervtisy. Tahnks to Brog Bolg for the ifno.
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Tim has written the blog entry that I have been writing in my head now for some time. His thoughts on our Small International Community (the blogoshpere) echo mine. It is a good read. Visit and comment.
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Over at the Thinklings, they are discussing their favorite comic book heroes, I put in my two cents:

1. Superman
2. Batman
3. Xavier (X-men)
4. Spiderman
5. A group of superheros: Mr. Furious, whose power comes from his boundless rage; The Shoveler, a father who shovels “better than anyone”; The Blue Raja, a fork-flinging mama’s boy; The Bowler, who fights crime with the help of her father’s skull; The Spleen, whose power is pure flatulence; Invisible Boy, who’s only invisible when no one’s watching and The Sphinx, a clich’-spewing philosopher. The Mystery Men.
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Have you joined up with the Blogger’s Congress? You better do it soon so you can vote on the proposed constitution.
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Today’s word of the day:

gelid • \JEH-lid\ • adjective
: extremely cold : icy

Class dismissed!

I just got home from work. Tonight I was attending another PTO meeting. This time my class was presenting some information about the handheld computers that we use in class. I spent last week getting the kids prepared, how to speak in front of large groups, the steps they should go through explaining what the handhelds are and how we use them. I had one student show PTO how to use a fun little program called Sketchy using the Palm Emulator on a laptop and the projector. After that, the parents could come up and see the kids demonstrate how the handhelds work. It was designed to be an opportunity for PTO to see what they had invested in and a chance for the kids to show off in front of their parents. I, of course, was a little concerned about how the kids would do and they stepped up to the challenge quite well and they represented the project well.

Unfortunately, I had to get up and introduce what we were doing. Public speaking in front of kids, I am fine. However, when I am speaking in front of groups of people my age or older, then I have a bit of a problem. In college, I was quite famous for my anxiety before EVERY presentation or when I had to perform for the year that I was a music major. The anxiety is very predictable, it would begin to manifest itself through an upset stomach and overacting sweat glands. Stage 2 included copious amounts of vomit. Stage 3, diverted attention I was unable to focus on anything. Stage 4, more vomit. It got to the point where I wouldn’t eat anything for several hours before I had to get up in front of people. The whole process is traumatic, stressful, and painful. Thankfully, the anxiety is not as bad as it was in college, but I did visit the restroom before the presentation. With all that anxiety, it becomes difficult to think. Even though I had carefully made notes on what I needed to stay, I was quite a basket case. The kids from my class were giving me a weird look as if to say, “Whose this awkward geek?” (Shoot, they saw me in a moment of weakness.)

So I got up to make introductions and I couldn’t remember a thing that I needed to say, my notes were halfway across the gym. I fiddled with the computer for a few seconds (even though I didn’t need to) to collect my thoughts, they didn’t collect. Now I had to say something, so me, the great orator, opened my big fat mouth and out came, “Umm, well, okay…” I really don’t remember what I said after that, but those three words are emblazoned in my mind.

Thankfully the kids were there to save my sorry butt.

I plan to have some pictures up tomorrow at my class website.

Ummm, well, okay, class dismissed!