This is how my eighth graders felt when they thought they WON, but what they quickly learned was I had outmaneuvered them.
One of our units is based on the nonfiction text Sugar Changed the World. It is a DENSE unit, and boy, is it dry. My eighth graders come to me at eighth hour, and trying to trudge through this unit was a struggle to say the absolute very least. I couldn't find a way to make the content better, and given the content, I did not see a way to make the delivery better that would make the content palatable without simultaneously seeming incredibly insensitive.
One day, they outright told me: "Mrs. R, PLEASE NO MORE SUGAR. What if we watch The Lorax instead?"
Initially, I shut their little scheme down. "It is WAY too close to testing for that, besties." Then, an idea hit me. *cue evil laughter* Each unit culminates with an essay, and I could connect the environmental issue allegory within The Lorax back to the sugar industry AND use The Lorax to introduce our next unit, which begins with Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave." We brainstormed some assignment ideas, and while they watch the movie, I spent the time creating this assignment. In a perfect world, I would not have done this on the fly, but we came to an agreement before we watched the movie. They'd look for places where they could compare the sugar industry to the environmental threats rife within Thneedville.
As they watched the movie, I had them take notes using a t-chart. On one half was The Lorax, and on the other was the sugar industry. After we watched the movie, I introduced the fleshed out assignment. Here is a link to the completed assignment description, and here is the link to the pre-writing research activity.
In The Lorax, the Once-ler’s
song, “How Bad Can I Be?” is when we see the transformation of the landscape
surrounding Thneedville from a beautiful landscape in nature to an unlivable
environment filled with smog, sludge, and not one tree. We also see the
Once-ler go from a friend of the Lorax and the native creatures to a
businessman who is completely willing to destroy his “friends” for profit. The
Lorax pleads with the Once-ler, but the Once-ler chops down all the truffula
trees. While The
Lorax is a fictionalized account of the impacts of
deforestation, overconsumption, and industrialization, the reality is that
unchecked industry is a threat to nature. In this essay, you will compare the
environmental impacts of the sugar industry to the fictionalized version of
industry portrayed in The
Lorax.
In
this assignment, compare the environment portrayed in The Lorax to the
research you conduct on the ills of the sugar industry. The pre-write will be
worth 20 points. The essay is worth 100 points.
In
this assignment, you will conduct research, make connections between your
source and The Lorax and use the information to form a strong point you
will argue in your essay.
They were totally bamboozled. "You want us to do RESEARCH?" "Mrs. R, what the heck do you mean I need a thesis statement?" "I have to READ now?!" The melodramatic reactions to reading and writing in an English class is always a fun time. As they worked through this assignment, I broke this down into several mini-lessons. Mini-lesson one was performing research and taking notes. I gave them about two days in class for this part. My next mini-lesson was based on organizing a research essay and creating an outline. A thesis statement is the road map to an essay, and the reasons listed in the thesis statement become each of the body paragraphs. I know it's basic and not the best, but it gets the job done.
In the outline, I had them start with their basic thesis statement, and one main idea sentence for the body paragraphs. I also suggested they start figuring out which sources fit with which reasons. Within this, I taught them how to properly cite sources using MLA parenthetical citations and a proper works cited page. All in all, this mini-unit took about two-and-a-half weeks.
And this led me straight into my next unit, which is called The Tell-Tale Heart. This unit centers on perception, reality, and truth, and it begins with Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave." Prior to beginning the reading, we discussed allegory, and I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was to use The Lorax again.
My eighth graders could not side eye me hard enough.
Sometimes, a decision made on the fly just works itself out, funnily enough. In creating this assignment, I asked students to synthesize and organize information across multiple sources while also asking them to engage with non-fiction text through the research process.
And that's on low-bar teaching, besties.
As always, thank you for reading, and thank you for being here!
This time of year is my most and least favorite. Spring fever is in full swing. My exhaustion is high, and my patience is low with some behavior because hello? It's March, and the expectations have not changed since August. The days are absolutely gorgeous here at this time of year, but testing is right around the corner. By the time I come home at the end of the day, all I want is a nap. (And that's why I have started and not finished half a dozen blog posts in the past three weeks).
But let's get back to it...
I have one rule that applies to multiple areas of my life: ask forgiveness not permission. This is especially true in my teaching career. Have I gotten myself into trouble with this motto a time or two? I cannot confirm or deny.
If you are like me, you are stuck with a scripted, dry reading/English curriculum, and sometimes selling curriculum that is not your original content to a classroom of teens is simply not the vibe. THAT is where the "ask forgiveness" mantra comes in. I am incredibly passionate about effective technology integration in the classroom, but being chained to a curriculum that utilizes texts and a workbook filled with graphic organizers does not lend itself to the type of tech integration I want to see. My goal in each of my lessons is to meet the goal of the standard(s) I am teaching utilizing most of the materials required but maybe slightly changing how students express their learning.
I recently did a presentation on this very topic a couple weeks ago. My fellow Louisiana English teachers are struggling with technology integration, which is why I share. I know how hard it is to re-imagine a script that feels boxed in. I try to use the ISTE Standards for Students to guide any technology integration I utilize in the classroom. Some things I do with students are text-based scavenger hunts, podcasting, and using PowerPoint/Google Slides for student creations. As someone new to blogging, I'd love to make this a series.
I teach three grade levels of ELA, and I also coach/teach a competitive robotics program. I definitely have areas where I can improve, but when things are good, I love to share that!
Podcasting
So many of my students are obsessed with podcasts, and in the age of creators, I want to teach my students to be creators in the classroom. In seventh grade, we read the very dense nonfiction text Written in Bone. The text is centered on the ways that forensic anthropologists used science to uncover the identities of the European settlers and indentured servants/enslaved Africans buried in the Jamestown, Virginia/Chesapeake, Maryland colonial areas. This is our very first unit for the year in seventh grade, and at the beginning of this year, I was low on creativity because I was drowning. I kept finding myself of Murder, Mystery, and Make-up Tok when suddenly it dawned on me: why would I not utilize this medium (maybe minus the makeup) to help make my content a little more engaging? So, that's what I set out to do.
In my curriculum, one lesson asked students to choose one claim from the text, then write a paragraph explaining how the author supports that claim with evidence in the text. They needed to include one piece of direct text evidence in their response. If I had given my seventh graders this assignment, they would've relentlessly roasted me. I'm not boring, and I get personally offended when students tell me my class is boring. Is the content boring at times? Sure! But being bored in my class is not allowed. So, how did I revamp it?
We listened to an example podcast of a forensic anthropologist. I wish I could remember who it was, but September feels like a lifetime ago at this point. Anyways, I revamped the entire prompt and asked students to record a podcast using the video-recording tool Flip. I adore Flip because it gives students options in how they showcase themselves, their voice, and even their face. Some students opt to go all-in and record with no problem while others may only voice record or screen record. I leave that choice for my students. My revamp assignment description looked like this:
Forensic anthropologists are solvers of mysteries, and sometimes they host podcasts to share about the mysteries they've solved. Today, you will work with a partner to host a podcast episode. Choose one of the two Jamestown settlers who have been excavated in the first chapters of Written in Bone.
In your podcast episode, you need to do the following:
○Introduce yourself and your co-host, as well as the excavation site.
○Describe the age and gender of the settler who was found. Don't forget to include how those details were determined (aka TEXT EVIDENCE).
○Describe how the date of death was determined.
○Include any information about the settler's health.
○Describe who the settler was in the historical record and how this was determined.
It may be helpful to write a script with the supporting details BEFORE you record. :) Remember, this is a grade, so while you definitely need to be creative, make sure you include all of the needed information first.
I did model with students to show them what an example might look like (screen snip from my Flip). I also wanted to take a moment for the hair and the glasses. I felt like I was the moment. I have amazing students on any given day of the week, but the engagement and enthusiasm that went into this assignment blew me away. Of course, I did have a couple that asked if they could just do a traditional writing, which was fine with me, but the vast majority were so excited to do this. I wish I could share their end results with you, but student privacy is important.
I utilized a very similar podcast with the short story "Flowers for Algernon," which I read with my eighth graders. My eighth grade group is extremely quirky and so creative, and when I give them a task like this, they take it and run with it. In the original assignment, students had to select a quotation or describe an event from Progress Reports 5-8. They then had to write a 2-3 sentence summary that reveals the shift in Charlie's understanding of what it means to be smart. Once again, I could have assigned this assignment mostly as is, but I know the effort I would have received would not be what they're most capable of doing.
I flipped this task very similarly to my task for Written in Bone. I explained that research and the sharing of the research is extremely important in the medical field. Charlie's surgery would have been ground breaking, so I asked my students to take on the role of Charlie's team of doctors to describe the changes in Charlie before and after his surgery. This takes on more of a narrative approach at this point, but the same basic question is answered: "How has Charlie changed?" Some of the end products were absolutely amazing and hilarious. Students engaged with the text much more than they would have if I'd given them the original prompt.
Bonus: Flip for Character Confessionals
An idea I had very recently what using a character confessional during our seventh grade unit on The Giver while making inferences. I thought about shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and any number of reality TV shows. After a scene, there is someone talking to a camera. I found a way to incorporate this Ron Swanson clip into my lesson, and any day I can feature Ron Swanson in my classroom is a good day.
We had just read Chapters 13 and 14 of The Giver, which is where we as the reader get a tiny glimpse into the fact that the Giver does not think highly of the way the community is run. Student were tasked with answering the following question:
"What inference can you make about The Giver's perspective on his community based on his dialogue and demeanor in Chapter 13? Cite evidence from the text in your response."
Once again, I did not love this prompt, and I knew some of my students would be less enthusiastic about answering this question. The revised prompt I provided in the Flip topic follows:
In this assignment, use what you know about the GIver to make an inference about his true thoughts and feelings after reading his dialogue with Jonas in Chapter 13. As you plan your video, think:
- What emotions and feelings are expressed by the Giver's demeanor in this section of text?
- What does his dialogue reveal about his perspective? Why?
This is another example of students thinking much deeper and writing more in this assignment than they would have utilizing the original assignment. I have not changed the intent of the lesson because students are still making inferences about the character. Instead, I shifted the outcome by allowing students to express their creativity. Once again, I had a couple students, including my own daughter who is in my seventh grade class, who asked if they could write a script but skip the recording. I frequently try to offer an option because student choice is important.
I am by no means the most creative or even a perfect teacher, but I do hope something I share here resonated with you. Feeling boxed in with curriculum and not having a ton of room for creativity is one of my biggest complaints as an educator. I hope you found something here you can take back and apply to your own classrooms.
I have said that I would start a teaching blog for years, but I have let every possible excuse stop me. Mostly, I felt like I didn't fall into one of two categories: EduBros or Pinterest/Instagram teachers. For several years, I have worked to perfect my craft and finally feel like I am not an imposter in a profession that demands perfection at all times. My messy desk, scattered attention span, and constantly feeling like I'm flying by the seat of my pants perpetuate the feeling that I'm not good enough. After years of hanging out on EduTwitter, I realized I'm not alone in these feelings, and it's time I stop letting doubt hinder me from sharing the great things I do. An exchange this weekend with someone who taught for four years and has seen an entire generation of students attend and graduate from the K-12 system made me realize I am just as qualified, intelligent, and have just as much to offer to the profession, but I often lack the audacity. The truth is: my voice has value in this field, and that's where the idea for a blog finally came to fruition.
With all that said, let me introduce myself.
My name is Katelyn. I have been a classroom teacher for eight years. I made a home for myself in fifth grade, but I recently transitioned to teaching middle school ELA in a program with a STEM emphasis while also coaching VEX Robotics. I graduated with my M.Ed. in EdTech Leadership in December 2021, and I am currently seeking out doctoral programs. I affectionately refer to my husband Brett as Mr. Katelyn (since my entire professional identity is Mrs. His-Last-Name). I also have two daughters: Aubree (13) in seventh grade (who is actually in my ELA class!) and Avery (6) in kindergarten. We reside in south Louisiana where the air is almost always too warm and way too humid, but the food and culture are quite rich.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I have way too much knowledge of alligators (call it being raised in the swamp), and I am a HUGE fan of NCAA Gymnastics, particularly LSU. I have a reputation for controversy, but the controversy is largely over the most asinine things...most notably my disdain for Teachers Pay Teachers, cuties made to look like Jack-O-Lanterns, pencils, and calling out toxic positivity and working environments.
For far too long, educators have been expected to do more with less and essentially set themselves on fire to keep the world warm. We are greeted with toxic phrases like, "A good teacher is like a candle: it consumes itself to light the way for others" or "I do it for the outcome not the income." The reality is that teaching is still a job that requires professional licenses and at minimum a four-year degree. Additionally, candles eventually burn themselves out because they run out of fuel to continue lighting the way, and all too often, those teachers have burnt themselves out and leave the profession entirely. Personally, I would rather be a flashlight--because I can change my batteries and continue lighting the way. Sometimes, a "sick day" is just the perfect way to recharge the batteries and refresh the spirit. When you carry the mental load of the classroom, your own children, and the home, a day alone is just what the doctor ordered.
Since you are here, I do want to share some things I am doing in my classroom. As I shared earlier, I teach ELA in a program with a STEM focus. A question I get asked fairly often is, "How do I make ELA STEM?" One thing I took away from a conversation with a dear friend of mine very recently is how to connect the engineering and design process to the writing process. I'm currently finishing up our unit on Hatchet with my sixth graders, and we are working on our end-of-unit essays. As we go through our prompt, we want to define the criteria: what do we need to be successful in this writing? After we define the criteria, we represent and plan, which is just our brainstorming and pre-writing. I model this with them. We write our thesis statements together, and then we find the evidence from the text to effectively support our answers. Next, we implement the plan. As we are writing, the "implement" step is the drafting, revising, and proofing. I always reiterate with students that rarely should our first draft be our only draft, and the writing process is cyclical. Sometimes we have to go back to the "planning" stage. As we go through each paragraph, I remind them to relate back to their thesis statement and include adequate text evidence to support the claim they're making.
And as always happens: I have the question of, "Why do I need to write?" The reality is, the ability to communicate effectively is more relevant than ever with the rise of social media, a landscape that is quite familiar for students. Often, this formulaic writing allows me to find ways to make it just a little more engaging. Creating a Podcast, character confessionals, and blurbs on slides meant to look like Netflix trailers are just a few ways I try to "spice up" an otherwise dry, scripted curriculum. I hope to share these ideas in upcoming blog posts.
Thanks for reading my inaugural blog post, and I cannot wait for this journey with you all!
