Today I read a book that I can honestly say changed me a little bit. This book is called Fish in a Tree by. Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
When I picked up this book I did it with no idea what the story was about. I saw it shared on a Facebook page for 5th grade teachers and I thought I would give it a try. So glad that I did. The heart of this story is focused on a girl named Ally Nickerson. She is a girl that struggles with school, and when I say struggles, I mean struggles. She is always getting in trouble and feels like she doesn't fit in. Between the moving to 7 schools in 7 years and looking at things differently then her classmates she has a lot of things stacked against her. She spends a lot of time visiting the office because of things that she does that are misunderstood, but never corrects what they think of her. She doesn't think anyone can/will help. Then her teacher leaves to have a baby and in walks Mr.Daniels, the substitute. This is where the story takes you on a journey where you find yourself connecting to Ally, along with her friends Keisha and Albert, and loving the wonderful Mr. Daniels. He takes this classroom full of unique students (just like every single classroom around this country) and helps them all find their best selves. He teaches them about Grit, being brave, staying true to oneself, and through it all the students learn about standing up for themselves and accepting each other and their uniqueness. You cheer for the boy named Oliver who has a heart full of kindness and a mind that doesn't quit. You fall in awe over Albert's intelligence and Keisha's courage. And with Ally you learn about a girl who is smart and never truly understood that until Mr. Daniels shares with her the special type of learner she is. She has dyslexia and never knew it. This story pulls at your heart strings and makes you want to be that teacher that can reach these kids like Mr. Daniels did. This is a story that reminds me of why I became a teacher. This is a story that is perfect to share with students who need to see that being different is good and learning differently is okay. It shows them that great minds don't think the same and getting it right doesn't happen on the first try, but perseverance is what matters. This is a must read!!! Have you ever been changed by a book? Have you ever had so many emotions while reading a book that you feel like you lived through it and didn't just read it? Well the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio is one of those books.
The story is about a 10 year old boy named August Pullman who is a bright and wonderful boy, and who also has an extremely rare facial deformity This has made making friends and being considered "normal", difficult for him. He lives in a neighborhood in Manhattan, with his mom, dad, sister Via, and dog Daisy. In the story, his parents decide that it is time for Auggie to start going to school for 5th grade and he begins attending the private school Beecher Prep. Well as you can guess it is not an easy transition for August, but he being an extremely special kid, handles it well. He meets a few new friends named Summer, and Jack and just like with any kid experiencing life, things never go totally smooth. The other students alienate him, and on Halloween, his favorite holiday, things take a turn that August must battle through. As the book progresses, the writer does a really unique thing and writes it from different character points of view. You get to hear from his sister Via, friends Jack, and Summer, Justin, Via's boyfriend, Miranda, Via's "old best friend", and a few times from August in between it all. This lets you see what is going on with other characters, along with experiencing the same event from multiple points of view. Needless to say, this book gives you many different feelings as you experience this first year of school with August and his friends and family. You will catch yourself at near tears, you will go from hating to loving some characters, and you will be left changed by this beautiful story. “Here’s what I think: the only reason I’m not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.” ― R.J. Palacio, Wonder "WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN BEING RIGHT OR BEING KIND, CHOOSE KIND.” ― R.J. Palacio, Wonder Click on link to visit the Slide show with all our Procedural text. Comment on 3: 2 good or bad, and 1 that you think is the best.
docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kLWo07aqFYwplidWdOJjqrvqS15vq5oHmFXcQqGWFZ0/edit?usp=sharing To be a Cubs Fan
by: Ms. Mischnick To be a CUBS fan is truly the BEST, however, it is something that can feel like a very BIG test. Being a fan for this team takes a lot, a lot of heart, faith, spirit, and giving it all the patience you've got. But in return, this team never gives up, and you can see their love for this city and team when they get a closeup. The place that is Wrigley is one that you can't compare, the closest place to it is probably heaven to be fair. From the unique sound of the bat against the baseball, to the dark green ivy growing up Wrigley's brick outfield wall. Its old time scoreboard, so BIG in the Chicago sky, and the white and blue W flag blowing way up high. You've got the sound of the fans singin' GO, CUBS GO, or the clappin' and cheerin' as another run slides in before the throw. Being a CUBS fan is truly the BEST, there is nothing that can beat it I can attest. As a fan of this team I have learned to love baseball, and the best moment I've ever witnessed is when they finally won it ALL!!! To say that this team is special, is the biggest understatement of the century, for it would mean that your thinking is totally rudimentary. The team that we call, the Chicago Cubs, is made of so much more then just their bats and their gloves. It is made up of the fans that are grandfathers and babies, some fans that are lifers and some that are newbies. It is made up of Wrigley, both the bleachers, and the field, and of the whole windy city a trip there would reveal. Being a CUBS fan is all this and more, it is ingrained in our, hearts, minds and bodies, down to our last pore. To be a CUBS fan means time with our families and friends together, these are the things that make Cubs fans a part of this team FOREVER!!! So, if you are a fan of the show "The Walking Dead", (but maybe not the extreme violence of it) I have a book that is perfect for you. Max Brallier wrote a great book for kids that captures the idea of a zombie apocalypse (and added monsters) where kids are left to survive on their own in a town overrun with creatures. The story starts 42 days after the "Monster Apocalyse" began in the town of Wakefield, where you are introdued to the books main character Jack Sullivan. He is a 13 year old foster boy who captures your attention right away with his witty humor, and wanna-be hero attitude. The story goes through how he survives when he was left behind by his latest foster family, and how he makes the most out of this post-apocalyptic world. After some thrilling encounters with zombies, and a huge monster he names "Blarg", Jack finds a few kids that survived, and create his own "family" for the first time in his life. Together they battle "Blarg" for survival and make a stand to show that they have what it takes to survive this world "together". This story will have you laughing, on the edge of your seat with all the action, and even touch your heart with the characters and their stories. Check out the book The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier, illustrated by Douglas Holgate and its continuing series.
PLN Time: When looking for things to use with my lesson I realized that there are tons of resources for the type of lessons I was planning for. I found a few text feature lists, and SMART Notebooks that I tweaked to fit my needs. I used both a paper form for the lesson overview and used my flip lesson to talk about it as well. I was able to then hit both my visual and auditory learners this way. I watched a lot of flipped lessons before I started and I realized they do not have to be beautiful to get the point across. That helped with my fear of doing it.
For my lesson, I am focusing on identifying text features and understanding the purpose the author has for using them in nonfiction text. My students are going to use Pic Collage to create there displays on 3-5 text features and then they will use their Weebly blog to post them. Each student will post questions to go along with them, and will have to respond to their peers questions and the comments made on their blog. My lesson is in the Modification SAMR level and is in the Understand and Apply level of Blooms Digital Taxonomy. There are many barriers that teachers face to transform their lessons.
Some of the top ones are: 1. Technology Knowledge: either teacher or students not having the knowledge of technology well enough to use it without having issues, or needing help constantly. If knowledge is low, problems are sure to arise which is then frustrating and makes lessons take longer...especially when they are not content issues, but issues with trying to upgrade the lesson. This barrier is one that would take practice. Allowing yourself and students opportunities to use the technology, before they need it in class would help this. Having your tech support come into the classroom for the lesson, so they can help troubleshoot and explain how to use the technology would also solve this. 2. Time: having the time to plan using things that you have never used before, or time to find the things that will take your lesson to that next technology level. To solve this barrier use your PLN and Collaborative Team at school to help you. If multiple people are in on the planning and figuring it all out, then it won't take as long. 3.Student Levels: students may not be at the level they all need to be with the content in order to complete the activity the way you want them to. If they are all over the spectrum, you will have some that can jump right in and some that will need more guidance with it before they can do what you want. This barrier would take use of your PLN and Collaborative Team as well. Ask them for ways to combat the different levels, or use students with high knowledge of the content and technology to help fellow students. Differentiating the process and product for students who struggle with the content would also help. 4.FEAR: doing something that you have never done before, brings a whole bunch of fear that you will fail, or that it will not come out like you planned it to. Be able to say "it's okay", " at least I tried and know what NOT to do now." is the only way to jump into it, and that is not easy. This is a barrier that would simply take some confidence and motivation to get past. Having a fellow colleague help you to create the transformed lesson, or even support you while you give it would help. Allowing yourself to ask for help from your technology leaders or even a student who is tech savvy, to lead the way into the uncharted territories is another alternative. |
AuthorMs. Mischnick is a 5th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher, in Texas. Archives
November 2018
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