A Very Very Bad Blogger

So, September has come and gone, and with it my wonderful excuse for not keeping up with my blogging... It is december now, the school year is almost half over, and I am feeling seriously guilty for not keeping up with my blog - the one way to catalogue my firs year of teaching (besides hacking my dear husbands ear off every night)!

So, now that I have my fabulous new iPad (which is an indespensible tool for teachers!) there are no more excuses. This is my early attempt at a New Years Resolution: to blog about all of the trials and triumphs that take place in format of my eyes, multiple times, each and every day.

Today: I watched my grade nines set up the school christmas tree, and wrap each other in lights before realizing that they had just re-tangled all of the lights that had taken us a half hour to untangle... They always amaze me with their optimism! Where I was frustrated, they just laughed and started over again... I am pretty sure that the majority of their excitement cam frm the fact that the more time sent on the tree, the less time there would be for English, but in any case, it was a nice way to start the day!

Now I am marking distance learning English 20-1 modules, and let me tell you, it is one incredible student who can complete these modules and find success in them... I never, ever could! The questions are vague, repetitive, and lonesome. I wish that my students could all have normal lives and come to class everyday and not have to worry about working to help ith the family... I keep reminding myself that "teenager" is a new idea, and they are not actually that hard done by.

Well, thAts it for now, stay posted (if you are patient enough), for some thoughts on teaching English at the high school level, in a combined grade setting... Should be fun (if it ever stops giving me nightmares...)

ttfn :) Ivy

Oh September...

Everyone keeps telling me that it gets easier, that September is survival month and I will be okay!  Thankfully, tomorrow is October the 1st, and I seem to have survived in one piece!

I wanted to share some of the latest happenings from around my classroom, let y'all know what we have been up to!

In English Language Arts 9 we have just completed our graphic novel unit and I could not be happier with the kids work.  They are really putting their hearts into this stuff!  I have just bought the third book in the Amulet series (Kazu Kibuishi), and am thrilled to see the kids passing it around the room - so they can all read it one at a time!  Last week I came into the room after lunch, to what was supposed to be art, and they were all silently reading - in ART!!!  I am extremely proud of them and their love of literature!  We are now moving into our poetry unit, which is built around the book "Immersed in Verse" by Allan Wolf (2006).  The kids are really enjoying it and I cannot wait for next week when they begin writing their own stuff!

It truly is proving to be a challenge teaching Social Studies 10 and 20 combined - but I am learning new tricks and methods and know it will be ok!  I have mainly been switching back and forth between the two groups, getting one working and then meeting with the others.  It definitely takes more time and I wish that I had longer with them - but at least it is a small class!  My Social 20 group has just finished their French Revolution projects (highly differentiated - so I am expecting a lot of different products!), and I cannot wait to view the almost 45 minute video that one group has made.  So Exciting! 

Art is SO FUN!  Today we started pen and ink and the kids were really excited to start something new.  None of them had even seen a calligraphy pen before - let alone the old school version with the quill and jar of ink!  I am really looking forward to seeing what they create.  My Art 9 class is completing a Pointilism project - and while they are complaining of going blind staring at tiny dots, their work is looking fantastic and I cannot wait to show it off.

I love my life. I love my work. I love my world. Life is great and I am truly blessed.

A Long Hiatus...

Welcome Back to Me!  It has been almost a month since my last post - and we are already 2 weeks into the school year!  Things are going wonderfully, I have a wonderful bunch of kids and a fantastic staff to work with. 

I am in the middle of my "Welcome to the Graphic World" unit, and have just discovered the website "Comics in Education" created by a teacher/cartoonist for his Masters thesis.  Check it out!  I have found that comics and graphic novels have greatly increased my student motivation to read - they actually go for the comics all the time, even at lunch and during breaks! 

Other interesting things that we are up to include: (Social 20) Dramatize the French Revolution in some way in a differentiated project looking at the development of nationalism; (Social 10) Media Madness & Globalization investigation (including a web quest and blog collaboration).  In Art 10/20 we are going to be starting an "Abstract from Nature" project using charcoal and chalk. 

I also found out on Friday that I will be teaching Leadership 9 this semester - but am not sure of what to do!  Any reader suggestions? 

I am also the teacher representative for our Student Council - and am looking for ideas here too!  We have our kick-off bash on Monday :)

Have fun in class! 

And The Countdown Is On...

Well, how the summer has flown by - suddenly I start work in only 11 days!!!  I have been planning up a storm, and feel that my first 6 weeks are pretty much good-to-go.  I have the skeleton for the rest of semester one, but still have not done anything for semester two... Oh my!!! 

I hope that everything will go well, and I feel very encouraged by the confidence that my principal, family and friends have in me - now if only I could find that same confidence!

I will be maintaining this blog throughout the school year - please watch for links to student blogs and other exciting teaching and learning experiences.

Here goes nothing!!!

Social Studies 10 & 20 Combined Planning Resource

I created this document to help me plan out how to teach all of the content in social studies 10 & 20, in a combined classroom.  Using the textbooks, "Perspectives on Globalization" and "Perspectives on Nationalism" from Oxford Canada I pulled common themes from the chapters to help unify the class - even if we are looking at different information there will be common themes that we can discuss.

I do not plan on using all of the information in each chapter, but will pull out information from the chapters in order to meet the specific learner outcomes.  Learner outcomes have been taken directly from the Alberta Social Studies Program of Studies, and are highlighted in grey throughout the table.

(Although, I do plan on using the textbook as our primary source since it is my first year!  I am not ready to reinvent the wheel quite yet... But watch for some exciting teaching and learning activities!)

Social 10 20 Scope and Sequence _ Fall 2010

ELA 9 Unit #1: ImAGiNe!!!

I decided to try something new in planning and executing my first unit for English Language Arts 9.  Rather than use multiple presentations, I created ONE Prezi to guide us through the entire unit.  I love that you can integrate links, images, handouts and more!  Also, it is one way to illustrate the artistry of communication... You can find the Prezi online at this link: ImAGiNe!!!

Please check out my other Prezi presentations and remember, feedback is always welcomed!

Enlish Language Arts 9: Units 1, 2 & 3

Well, after much brainstorming, reading and hard work, I have laid out my first 9 weeks of ELA 9... In just 2 days!!!  The following is an outline of the plan thus far...

Unit One: Imagine!
*Week One: Share Who You Are, Imagine Who You Could Be...
-Build Community, get outside!
-My Name & Me (Using "The House On Mango Street")
-My Stuff & Me (Show & Tell, Build Community)
-My Media & Me (Class Blog Contributions, in pairs)
*Week Two: Imagine You Had a VERY Different Life...
-Intro To "The Graphic World" (this is a graphic novels unit)
-Exploring "The Graphic World": Go Get Lost! (variety of texts)
-Find Your Way Home Again: Responding to "The Graphic World"
-Create Your Piece of "The Graphic World" (writer's workshop)
*Week Three: Imagine-in-Verse (poetry time)
-So, Say You're a Poet, And... ("Immersed in Verse", Alan Wolf 2009, Ch. 1)
-What Would You Need? ("Immersed", Wolf 2009, Ch. 2)
-What Would You Write About? ("Immersed, Wolf 2009, Ch. 3,4 + Various other inspirational media)
-Become a Poet Already! (writers workshop, 2 periods)
*Week Four: Imagine the Fantastic! (film studies)
-Genre Study Intro: My Fav, Fantasy! (Alice in Wonderland, Shrek, Avatar, Chronicles of Narnia, Golden Compass, Fantasia, Zathura, Hogfather)
-Fantastic Film: (not sure.... The Last Unicorn? The Hobbit? The Dark Crystal? Howl's Moving Castle?
-Responding to the Film (2 periods) (differentiated projects, provide choices!)
-FIELD TRIP!! To see "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole"
-In class film response and unit exam

Unit Two: Surviving, Living and Disturbing the Universe (novels & film)
*Week One/Two: Surviving Amidst Injustice; "To Kill a Mockingbird"
-(6 classes + exam)
*Week Two/Three: Living; "Tribes"
-(4 classes + exam)
*Week Three: Daring to Disturb the Universe; "9"
-(4 classes, including portfolio introduction)

Keep posted for more!!

Social 10 & 20 Combined... Oh My!!

It is beginning to sink in just how difficult it is going to be to cover all of the content from both of the social studies Program of Studies - 10 and 20 - in the amount of time you would usually have for one!  So, I think that I am going to have to be creative, innovative, and well prepared!  Thus, I have given in to my inner-blogger and created TWO new blogs!  Check 'em out! Social 10 @ ATL & Social 20 @ ATL

On the menu for this term?  Podcast lectures; Voicethread discussions;, Blogrolls and comments; Webquests; Wiki-creation; Geography Studies; Video-conferencing; and More!!!

Keep Posted!

P.S. Just as a side note, both the Social 10 and 20 classes will be using the Oxford Canada 'Perspectives On' textbook series.

Hot Off the Press: Art 10-20-30 Planning Resource!!!

Just for your planning pleasure, the following is a chart of the Art 10-20-30 Program of Studies (Alberta Education, 1986).  It has been transformed into student friendly "I Can" statements, and they are arranged side-by-side to help with planning for multi-grade instruction. 

More fantastic art resources to come!!

Art 10 20 30 I Can Statement Chart

Social Studies 10 & 20 Unit Brainstorming...

So, I will be teaching Social 10 and 20 combined and need to get a grasp of the situation!  The following is just some brainstorming, sharing what has been tumbling around in my brain lately...

• AVATAR Unit (not sure if this would be better for Social or English, or perhaps both?)
• Generals Die In Bed by Yale Harrison (Social 20)
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (Social 10)
• Fair Trade (Social 10)
• MAUS I & II by Art Spiegelman (again, I think that these 2 novels will be used in both English and Social - meaning that I will re-introduce them in the second semester, when English 10 and 20 will be taught together as well)
• Critical Inquiry Project: "Who wrote this history anyways?" (Social 10 & 20)
• "The Ultimate Warrior": Nationalism and collective (imagined) national identities (Social 20, could also use for Social 10 by examining the spread of information and new technologies that break down geographic and linguistic barriers and provide us with new information about the people of our world - AKA "How does media affect diversity?")
• The Business of Mind Control: Propaganda, Advertising and Stuff That Wants Inside Your Brain (Social 10 and 20)
• The Global Water Crisis (Social 10 and 20)

I think that's it for now!!!  Keep your eyes open for unit plans, lesson plans and more soon to come!!

Multi-Grade Classrooms & My First Teaching Position!!!

Well, it has finally happened.  A lifelong dream has come true, an ambitious goal has been achieved...  In other words, I was hired to teach in the school district I wanted - and the grades and subjects that I wanted! 

I feel privileged to be a new Humanities teacher for grades 9-12 in Southern Alberta!!!  I am faced with a unique situation: 45 students, four grades, one high school, one classroom... 

So, I am beginning a journey that will require extensive planning and preparation.  I want to see the graduation rate increase - let's have a record breaking class of 2011!

Networking Now!!!

"Certainly, Web 2.0 has opened the flood gate on a dam on creativity that we weren’t even fully aware existed, and the explosion of content creation is an indication of the latent energy that’s released when anyone and everyone is able to participate more actively in the different spheres of their lives."

Check out this paper by Steve Hargadon Educational Networking: The Importance Web 2.0 Will Play in Education. He not only offers a great overview of what exactly Web 2.0 is (namely, Educational Networking); but also explores the possibilities and limitations of these technologies in our classrooms.

I have also done some work on Educational Networking for a PD project.  Check it out at Educational Networking: Towards the Twenty First Century Classroom.  The site chronicles my use of the web platform Edmodo with my Social Studies 10 and 11 classes during the Fall of 2009; I also explore limitations and possibilities associated with Educational Networking, and Edmodo in particular.

Network Away!!!

Layered & Delicious!!

Everything is better in layers...  A strong foundation, fabulous transitions, endless choices and a delicious topping.

This mini-unit plan was developed and used in Social Studies 10-1, all of the general and specific outcomes are included in the presentation.  It has students work through a unit on sustainability that takes them from foundational knowledge and then on to higher level learning functions (a la Bloom).

This unit uses the textbook "Exploring Globalization" with editors Gardner & Lavold, from McGraw Hill Ryerson; Chapter 11.

There is also a final slide with teacher and students reflections.

For more information on Layered Curriculum approaches, please visit Dr. Kathie Nunley's Layered Curriculum Website.

Enjoy!!

Sustainable Prosperity Unit
Social 10-1
Related Issue #3  

(Also available as a googledoc!)

Calling All Radical Teachers...

Goodbye to teaching that is smug and self-satisfied, teaching as authoritative and proud, hiding its conflicts and uncertainties behind a lectern, a textbook, or a "social science" conceit.  Goodbye to teaching as clerking - something quickly learned, easily assessed, instantly remediated.  Goodbye to teaching as a trivial pursuit of the obvious.

Welcome to an approach that is overflowing with life, crackling with the surprising and contradictory harmonies of intimacy and love, stunning in its hope for a better world.  Welcome to teaching as value laden, aspirational, and imperfect - a never-ending voyage of discovery and surprise, a continuous work in progress.  Welcome to a life of no easy answers.

Goodbye to being in control all the time.  Goodbye to overthinking and underexperiencing.  Goodbye to deference, didacticism, ego and the need to always be right.  Goodbye to prisons and border guards and walls - whether in Palestine or in Texas or inside our own hearts and minds.  Goodbye to all that.

Welcome to the unknown, to jumping off the edge, to the new and the now, to endlessly learning how to live again and how to love anew.  Welcome to relentless curiosity, simple acts of kindness, the complexity of humanity, the wonder of it all.  Embrace teaching with one foot in the here and now, and another striding toward a world that could be but is not yet.

From: "Controversies in the Classroom: A Radical Teacher Reader" Series Foreword
By Joseph Entin, Robert C. Rosen, & Leonard Vogt, Editors
Foreword by Deborah Meier

Gaming in the Twenty-First Century Classroom

While teaching high school social studies, working at the local Blockbuster, and sitting in my own living room, I have become aware of the incredible educational potential of some popular video games.  My grade eleven students asked me about the depictions of World War II in the popular game "Call of Duty: World at War", and my grade ten class enjoyed a class of playing Risk and thinking about world domination.  In both cases the students were genuinely engaged and thinking deeper about the media that they are exposed to.

However, some would argue that video games have no place in the classroom, and that we should be discouraging students from engaging in this type of entertainment.  Due to these protests, any teacher interested in bringing commercial games into their classrooms must be aware of WHY.  That is, what does the research say about this?  How can we justify using video games in the classroom?

I was assigned a literature review in one of my classes at the University of Lethbridge, and was immediately eager to see what research there is to support (or discourage) the use of video games in the classroom.  My main concerns were that the articles be empirical (that is, based on real data collected systematically in the classroom), and that they consider commercial, as well as educational, video games. The results of my labor are summed up in the following review...

Gaming in the Twenty-First Century Classroom

I also found this incredible study by Richard Sandford, Mary Ulicsak, Keri Facer and Tim Rudd; in collaboration with EA Games and futurelab.  Teaching With Games: Using Commercial Off the Shelf Games in Formal Education 

Prezi soon to come!!

My Latest Brain Child: The Digital Citizens Project

With all of the cool things available online, it can be hard for a teacher to use technology effectively... It seems that students lives are so saturated with digital media that it is not 'special' in the classroom anymore. I designed the Digital Citizens Project to challenge students to use technologies in new and creative ways... It is still in development, only the first quarter is complete, but there will be more soon so stay posted!

Tell Me Your Story, I'll Tell You Mine

I have been working on a paper for my Psychological Anthropology class, and decided to write on narrative after being introduced to it by a mentor teachers master's project.  People's lives are influenced by the stories that they tell (and those that are told) about them and their surroundings.  This understanding has powerful applications in anthropology, psychology, and (most importantly for our Creative Craniums) in education.  Educators who are willing to listen to the stories that students have to tell about their lives, and who can collaborate with them to focus on the positive aspects of such stories, will forge stronger relationships with their students. 

It is important to remember that the goal of the narrative approach is to understand the metaphors contained in people's stories, and to work with the individual to discover alternate plot lines in their tale.  This approach can be powerful with our teenage students who may have a harder time seeing the larger picture, and their place within it. 

I created this Prezi for a presentation on the paper that I am writing (and will post soon if you are interested), check it out for more information on narrative and education, anthropology and psychology.