Speed Dating Books for Valentine's Day!

Have I told you that Mrs. G, the librarian at our school, rocks?  I know I have, but let me tell you again; Mrs. G.  ROCKS!!

Thanks to the ideas I "harvested" from Pinterest, we had a brainac of an idea for the month of February:  Today – we “Dated Books.”  

She displayed high-interest books all around the tables and facilitated as our students spent 5 minutes “dating books” – checking out the covers, reading the backs, and spending 3 minutes of quiet time getting to know the books.  Every student left with a book they liked, and several left with SEVERAL books!  

She even made sure the kids had bookmarks!  We found this link, and the kids loved the "pick-up" lines:  http://snfontaholic.blogspot.com/2013/02/freebie-friday-valentine-bookmarks.html

Here is a few slides from her PowerPoint:

Here are slides from the PowerPoint she created for our experience:

It's funny -- as the students entered the library, they were already "checking out" the genres of books displayed on each table.

Kids have always been told to "NOT judge a book by its cover; however, here's a teachable moment:  I told the kids, "Just like you selected your book by the appearance, when interviewing, future employers always judge you by how you're dressed, the way you stand -- by YOUR cover."

Only two students selected a book because of the topic -- welding.  

As I "kid-watched," I noticed that some actually selected a few different genres.  Most stayed to what they knew.  At least the opportunity was there;  our librarian made sure there was variety!

I had to chuckle; many found books they wanted to "marry" (their term) right away and tried to stay married to that book instead of checking out other books.  It's a good thing they knew that they could select more than one book to take with them.

It's important to monitor so that students follow the rules.  Don't be a passive instructor; approximation worked well for me.  I also selected a book at the table where potential "rule-breakers" were and dated a few books myself.

........................................................................

Here are some "Ticket-out-the Door" student-generated responses discussing the experience:

“It’s sometimes really hard to make good choices anymore.  Even when you look at a book and think it’s the right choice, it may not always be the best book for you.  I really liked the activity, but it’s hard to find books when the best book isn’t out there.” 

I told her then to author her own!  J

“I liked it because it gave me a wide variety of books.  I didn’t have to commit to one because there were a lot of ‘fish in the sea’.”

“I book speed date on my own when I go to the library or online, so being able to do this in school was fantastic.  I have lists of books that appeal to me to go back for them when I’m ready.”

I noticed that one of the students took pictures (with her camera phone) of future titles she’d like to check out from the library.  Though it is against the rules, I reminded her to put her phone away as my inner biblio-phile clapped loudly for her!

“My book experience was amazing!  It helped me understand how to find a book in just a few minutes; I took pictures of books I’d like to date in the future!  Please – let’s do this again!”

“Thanks for the book mark!  I got one for each book I checked out!”

“I had so much fun.  I picked out books that I didn’t even think I would read!  We definitely need to do this again.  It was tough to stop reading after our 3 minutes; I found so much I liked!  My Valentine’s Day will be spent in my room with the door closed and a candle lit while I read my book.”

“I did not want to ‘cheat’ on my book.  My book is life; it means everything to me, but after reading little bits of book, I know what other types of books are out there.”

“For me – speed dating a book was incredibly tough – to pick only one?  Thankfully, we can check out multiple books.  I ended up getting books I would normally deem too “Emo”.  #OneBookToRuleThemAll”

One of our exit writings has been to make hash tags.  This cracks me up.

“I finally found a book I liked!”

“I ‘met’ some really nice books that I plan to spend a lot of time with.  I believe that I will enjoy that time spent, and I’m not inspired to READ!  I love being in a school where it’s cool to read!

“I’d like to do this again; I want to spend more time ‘dating’ other books!”

“I’ve never done anything like this before and I wasn’t sure about it, but I actually DID find a book I liked!  I didn’t have to feel stupid wandering around trying to find one because we were all doing that!”

"This is the car I'm going to have some day."

“It’s hard to make good decisions to pick a good book – so I picked two!”

“I had fun ‘book dating.’  I felt like I could have taken six books instead of the three I selected.  I guess I’ll have to return again to check out more!”

“It’s usually hard for me to pick a book that I like because I don’t like to read, but I did find one book I like today.”

“The ‘book’ I chose wasn’t really a book because it told me how to do makeup, but I liked it, so I checked it out.  Can I do my project on this one?”

This response cracked me up.

“I wish there would have been series books on the tables; I saw them on the fiction stacks, but I wasn’t sure if I could check them out.”

“I didn’t think I’d like a poetry book, but I was surprised that, when I asked you to read it to me – and you actually did, I liked it.  I think I now know how to read poetry. Thanks for reading the poem to me.”

“I found a book I liked; I think a lot of others did, too!”

“I am not a fan of reading, but I did find an interesting book on the first round and ended up keeping it.”

“The book I chose is not usually something I would read, but I’m deciding to give it a chance because it captured my interest.”

“I found a book about a dog that is one of a kind – like me!”

"Agony"

When I wrote the word AGONY on the white board this morning, my students thought I had lost it.  After all, it IS outside my personality to focus on the negative.  Regardless of their strange looks, they wrote their 10 line to discuss aspects of the meaning of the word  Here are a few of their comments:

• "Agony is being tied to a medevil torture device..." 
• "When I am forced to go to tutoring when I'd rather be in shop..."
• "After sleeping in until noon because I stayed up all night playing Mortal Combat, sitting in a desk during first period on a Monday after winter break -- that's agony."

These are all great examples of the theme -- especially that third comment!  However, none of them fit the theme I planned for the day.

"Let's think about your thinking; use Metacognition.  How did you know how to define the word, AGONY?  Turn and talk."  

I figured that most students could easily define AGONY, so as they were talking, I quickly took the "french fry" synonym strips from our interactive "Supersize Your Vocabulary" board and distributed them to each group.  They distributed the synonym strips to each member and were instructed to discuss unknown words that matched the over-simplistic words on the board.  As they did this, I eavesdropped on their conversations (some may call this "student observation" or "informal formative assessment").  Students then headed toward the board and to place their more challenging words inside the french fry boxes.

"Let's think about your thinking again, consider one of the words that challenged you."  After discussing a few examples, I instructed them to "write down that challenging word on your 10 line paper.  Using these skeleton key phrases and words 'I know that ___ means _______because...', compose a sentence or two that discusses your strategy to show HOW you arrived at your definition."

Some students decided upon their definitions based know familiar forms of the word.  Here were their comments:

• "I have horses, so I knew that MINIATURE fit in the SMALL box because there were miniature horses at the last show I went to."
• "In Masonry, we have been talking about foundations; my teacher always uses the word SATURATED to describe what the ground is like after it rains, so I placed my word in the WET box."
• "DESERTED makes me think of a desert; I know that there is not much in the desert, so I placed it in the EMPTY box; it just seemed like the right place to go."

Of course, these examples were just one strategy students used to define words, but for the purpose of our lesson, I focused on definitions that included prior knowledge and prior understanding.  We talked about the fact that these students used "schema" in order to define the word.

"When you read, you need to combine the clues from the text with your prior knowledge, your "schema", to truly connect to the reading.  Text doesn't always come out and tell you what to think; it sometimes challenges you to make connections to your experiences, and it's these connections that take you to a different level of understanding."  

Here's where I bring it home.  I projected the following video on the board and told the kids, "I'm going to show you a clip from an award-winning broadway play, Into the Woods.  Some of you may be familiar with this musical, and if that's the case, I'm going to ask you hang tight to your answers so that others might activate their schema to uncover the meaning.  For those of you who have never seen this clip, I want you to use what you know from costumes, the setting, and the lyrics.  Make predictions -- there are no wrong answers; you are only wrong if you don't wake up your schema to make sense of what is projected.  Ready?"  

• At 35 seconds, I paused the video and asked questions like these: "What do you see on the screen?  Who is the character?  How do you know he is who he is?  What is he singing about?  Overall, what type of musical is this -- what's the feeling?  How do you know this?" My students typically responded that the character is a major or a general -- someone important in the military and they knew this because of his uniform.  They all felt that he was singing about a lost love, and they thought that the overall mood of the play would be serious...and boring.  (LOL!)  I reminded them that they should continue using their schema to make sense of the song; they may be right but they may be wrong ..."and that's okay -- as long as you're thinking -- as long as you're trying to make connections."  I also assured them that the song is only 2 1/2 minutes long, so "I promise it won't bore you to death," and I pressed play.
• At 1:57, I paused once again and asked, "Have your initial thoughts changed?"  Most nodded in agreement.  "It's okay to change your inference based on a change in clues from the song.  Remember -- activate your schema and see if you can figure out who these two are!" ...and even students who would never be caught dead watching a musical were paying attention.

Once the clip had finished, I asked them "Who are the characters?  How did you know?  What specific lyrics gave it away?"  Most were able to identify the blonde haired prince right away:

• STUDENT ONE:  "When he said, 'Climing her hair,' it reminded me of Tangled."  Of course we had to debate that Flynn from the movie was not a prince; we all finally agreed that he WAS sort of a hero so that makes him prince-like.  (Sometimes listening to these kids really cracks me up.)
• STUDENT TWO:  "'Always 10 feet below' shows that he's standing at the tower where the princess was held prisoner.  But why is the other guy '10 feet behind'?"  I love giving these kids the chance to think; sometimes, learning is messy, but sometimes, these fishbowl discussions must be permitted so that we can all watch how others think.  
• STUDENT THREE:  "If the other prince is '10 feet behind', it means he's chasing something..."
• STUDENT TWO:  (with eyes gleaming as if there's a secret, but she's not willing to reveal the answer)  "...or chasing someONE!"
• STUDENT ONE:  (not willing to reveal the answer either) "...someone who is missing a shoe..."

Of course with this last clue, the kids know that the second prince is from Cinderella.  Now it was time to make the connection to the lesson:  "Let's talk about what you needed to discover the answers."  We found that the schema would be broken into three categories:

1. There were students who had seen the movie, watched the musical, or have even been a part of the musical.  Their schema was complete; they knew the song and could tell everyone else how great the entire musical is.
2. Then, there were a few students who had experienced neither the fairytales nor the movie.
3. There were students who knew the one or both of the princes from childhood fairytales, television programs like Once Upon a Time or movies like Disney's Cinderella.

Students in the first category were at the greatest advantage because they were completely familiar with the story, the characters, and the mood; their experience was more like "re-reading" the text.  Students in the second category were at the greatest DIS-advantage because they could only rely on the clues from the clip; they may not have been able to pick up all of the lyrics, and because the clues were not in print form, they could only experience the information once.  Students in the third category more able to infer the answers than those who had no prior knowledge; the third group were able to use the clues from the screen and their own schema 

Though there ARE bibliophiles who enjoy rereading their favorite stories, but many of our students are reading text for the first time.  In order to make connections and achieve complete understanding of the text, they need to utilize clues from the text and make attempts to activate their own prior knowledge.  When this happens, the "AGONY" of the frustrated reader might be avoided.  

Music in the Classroom

THE PROPOSAL:  In a 2012 article by the New York Times, author Admish Padnani writes that "those who listened to music completed their tasks more quicly and came up with better ideas than thos who didn't because the music improved their mood." Shouldn't students, then be permitted to listen to music as they work?  

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/
images/I/91fOcGw5XOL.png

THE PROBLEM:  First, I have seen a classroom turn into a scene straight out of Fame as all "heck" breaks loose, and yes -- it would be fun, but from a teacher's viewpoint, it wouldn't be very productive.  I have also witnessed WWIII over the type of music played; should it be country, pop, rap, or Heaven-only-knows-what genre.  Let's not even begin to THINK about the downloading of "free music" laden with computer viruses and band width-hogging qualities that come along with thirty different students listening to thirty different stations while they work!  If the ear-buds go in to appease each individual taste, some of these kids would go deaf before they don their graduation garb, and Heaven-only-knows-what lyrics are being ingested during class-time!

THE SOLUTION:  Pandora's free site promises to play "only songs I like."  And yes -- they DO have some advertising from time to time, but overall, it's a great online channel!  If I put it on my computer to play for the kiddos, then it's only one station "hogging band width," and I get to control the genre!



Now that I've found a virus-free solution, how do I address the argument over genre.  It's simple: Hans Zimmer!

Who is he, you ask?  You might not have heard of him, but you HAVE heard his music.  Have you ever watched a movie made in the last thirty years, you've heard his music.  Ever watch Castaway?  The Lion King?  Batman?  Mission Impossible?  Pirates of the Caribbean?  Iron Man?  Sherlock Holmes?  Divergent?  Shall I continue?  Well -- the music behind the movie was created by none-other-than Hans Zimmer.

WHY ZIMMER?  One of the problems I have found with playing music while working in class -- particularly in a Language Arts class -- is the one concept we're trying to teach:  WORDS.  Often, lyrics make up a good portion of the song, and that can be great, but lyrics take the mind to a specific place.  If I have thirty different minds thinking in thirty different directions as students work on different questions on a worksheet, read different pages of a novel at different paces, write different stories or essays, then I need to have music that lacks lyrics.  Face it -- we all, at one time or another, find ourselves singing with the lyrics on the radio as we drive; the same thing happens in the classroom, and when it DOES happen, focus on work is lost -- but not with music from Hans Zimmer.

Additionally, the music has been described as"epic" and "inspirational."  It is the type of music that is classical in nature but modern enough to keep the focus of even the students who have the attention span of a pine cone.

OF COURSE, as with any classroom strategy, we cannot listen to music all of the time; there are times when we must practice having the stamina the work both quietly and independently for standardized testing.  "Whistling while we work" is not always appropriate, but sometimes -- it works like a charm!

AS A SIDE NOTE:  Have you ever taken a group of students to the symphony?  Thanks to the kindness and generosity of our local chamber of commerce, the students at our school are blessed with the opportunity to attend performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; yes -- this is the same orchestra that has played in the Vatican and is up for yet another Grammy Award!  When the kids attend, it's the "real deal!"

The last time I took the kiddos, a few were veterans, but most had no idea what to expect -- they just knew that it was free and that they needed to look nice and behave.  After it was over, here are a few of their comments:

• "It was so beautiful!"  
• "I can't believe I liked it so much!"
• "I was amazed -- it sounded even better than it does in class!"  (They recognized Hans Zimmer's music and were excited to hear it live!)
• "Will you take us again?"

My answer to that last question:  Of course.  

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Student Choice WITH Differentiated Instruction?

A few months ago during an in-service meeting, co-workers who work in the Special Education department  presented this "great new site."  www.NewsELA.com.  I must admit that my heart wasn't into experiencing one more bit of technological genius; after all, we had a new administrator, a new grading program, and lots of new expectations coupled with lots of new paperwork. Learning something else "new" wasn't on my list of priorities However, this week, even though it's the week before Christmas break and I'd be crazy try something new, I decided to try it. After all, it actually sounded like a decent idea.  In fact, NewsELA brags to be: "an innovative way to build reading comprehension with nonfiction that's always relevant:  daily news."  The program promises to be "easy and amazing."  

I thought, "What the heck; let's see how it works."  I'm so glad I did!

WHY NewsELA?

1. It is easy to sign up. 
2. It is free.
3. It is user-friendly.

THE SET UP:  Creating classes was easy; I just followed the prompts after signing up, and my classes practically registered themselves. 

The next part had me a little worried, “How to assign my kids to the classes.”  I shouldn’t have worried one bit.  The LS Teachers explained that they created accounts for their kids -- something I wasn’t looking forward to doing.  Instead, I had my kids simply click on “Sign Up” at the top of the page.  Using their school username and password they registered, used the classroom code (Look in your my "settings cog" icon), and were ready to roll!

HOW TO USE IT:  First, I showed students how the program worked for me -- the icons for what I could see in the settings cog and my binder.  I can monitor the date they accessed the program, the title, the reading level, and the student’s percentage on each quiz. It's actually pretty amazing!

Then, I had students select a heading (in the blue) of their choice.  Some wanted to read something specific about their shop, so they clicked on the magnifying glass icon (with a + sign), typed a key word in the search bar, and found success! 

Next, I asked students to discover the differences between articles – other than a picture and the title.  “What does this article have that the other article does not?”  They were able to see the date of publication, the resource, the number of likes.  Most important to the manner I want to use the program, the fact that one article might have a light bulb while the other might not was what I wanted them to discover; this light bulb indicates that there is a 4-question quiz (designed to mimmic a standardized testing format).  

Finally, I briefly explained Lexile Levels to them. The kiddos basically understood that the levels with the smaller numbers are easier to read, and the MAX level might be read by someone studying in college. 

KIDS CAN OWN THEIR PROGRESS:  I invited my students to select an article of their choice and set the reading to the level they on which they wish to read.  For the next few moments, you could have heard a pin drop as they did as I asked – THAT’s the power of student-choice. 

 I always love approaching a conversation that is on-task
to the purpose; here, Matt, an electriical occupations student,
 is demonstrating with his hand the gist of the article.
about prosthetic devices with robotic mechanisims.  He was 
suprised when I caught him making connections to his 
shop and actually enjoying using the program!  
Mission accomplished!

As they finished, some scored perfectly (thanks to selecting a level that was too simple for them), and some struggled (thanks to over-reaching for a level too challenging).  This is where I set the challenge.  I returned to my binder to show them the results on my side. I showed the how I select CLASSES, hover my mouse over the class to expand to a drop down message, “EXPAND TO VIEW ALL STUDENT ACTIVITY,” and clicked on that message bar.  I then clicked on a student name to see their article, grade level read, date, and quiz percentage.   

I then asked, “If you go to a gym to exercise but never sweat, are you really getting the best exercise possible?  If you go to a gym and overdo it and hurt yourself, are you really getting the best exercise?”  Most begin to understand my point.  “The mind is like a muscle.  If you don’t exercise it, you can’t make it stronger; if you overuse it to the point of injury, you only experience frustration.” 

Of course I had a student who told me that a mind is, “in fact, NOT a muscle; it’s an organ.” 

My joking response to that student was, “And if you know that, YOU should have selected a higher reading level!” 

 

SETTING GOALS:  I told the kids, “If you read on a certain level and get 100%, the next time you read, try a higher level.  If the level you read is too frustrating or if you earned less than 50% on the quiz, then change your level so it’s not so challenging.”  I encouraged them that when they began scoring 100% scores, they should then they should challenge themselves on next level! 

GRADING – SAFETY ZONE:  While I DO believe in holding kids accountable with grades, I also believe that it is appropriate to use data to guide instruction.  Once the kids select their perfect reading level, I tell them that I’m not going to grade their scores; I’m going to grade their attempts to improve those scores.  “At first, we will use NewsELA as homework about two times a week.  If you don’t have a computer, I can give you a printed copy of the article of our choice.  If you read and take a quiz on two different days, then I’ll give you full credit for homework.”  This creates a safety-zone where kids feel comfortable to try and fail and try again!     

Josh checks over a problem he missed.  Having a
safety net to miss a problem and the the opportunity to
learn from mistakes is crucial in education. Kids need
to learn to work through their confusion, and programs
like NewsELA help in that endeavor.  The task of the teacher
is now to simply monitor the room and keep the 
kids on-task -- easy to do when you have a great site like this!

I did tell them that they will move up quicker if they make sure they understand their mistakes.  They can do this by clicking on the red circle that marks their incorrect answer after they finish their quiz.  If they still don’t understand, I have built it in to my classroom procedures so they ask a partner in their group before they ask me.  I facilitate the review process and only intervene to clarify and re-teach concepts.  I can also “kill two birds” by sharing the mini-lesson with the partner, as well. 

MODIFYING:  Because our standardized tests are still in paper form, I make sure I modify by giving special-needs kiddos a printed copy so they can use highlighting and note-making skills throughout – just as I hope they would on state tests.  This way, they can also take the piece home if they need extended time.   

Overall, students seemed to enjoy using NewsELA.  Some students are going to buck every lesson, no matter what hoops a teacher might tap-dance through; remember, that it’s still important to try. 

WAIT, STICK TO MY GUNS, AND SEE:  I look forward to learning to use the site to assign specific articles that blend with our discussion; I REALLY look forward to seeing if this helps the kids improve their reading levels!  I just need to be patient, be consistent in assigning homework, and evaluate the effectiveness as I contine trying the program.  It DOES seem to be worth it!

Binge Reading

THE BIRTH OF A READER:  Our book talk today started like this:  "My name is _____, and I'm a 'binge-reader'."  (Insert about about a minute of laughter here.)  

In order to completely understand the rest of this story, you must understand this self-admitted reluctant reader whom I will call, 'Mary'.  Even her friends chuckle, "What page of the novel are you on now?"  

Mary's answer: "Two."  

PEER PRESSURE:  Society always talks about the negativity of peer pressure, but in some cases, it can be good!  

Case in point:  This summer, the incoming college prep students were asked to read Veronica Roth's Divergent and participate in a reading event; for those who could not attend, they could select a reading of their choice and complete a project-based assignment of their choice.  

Choosing to avoid an event where reading was the focus, Mary selected to do the project-based assignment.  
    Thank Heaven for Diana Mitchell's "Fifty Alternatives to the Book Report!  
    If you haven't used it with your kids, it's a MUST!

Our reluctant reader...glowing
 because our classroom library 
has the next book in the series.

For the first two months of class, we would listen as Mary talked about her frustration of feeling left out when others gushed over books they read, loved, and lived.  When the class headed to the library for a book to read over Thanksgiving break, Mary caved. After hearing her friends gush on about the series and the movies, she finally chose to give Divergent a try.  

"Mary!" the kids encouraged when they saw her with the novel, "Are you finally deciding to join us?" 

Mary's reluctant smile said it all.  "I'm certainly going to try!"

After break, when the kids asked what page she was on, Mary proudly replied, "I'm on chapter twenty-three!" (Insert about a minute of clapping at this point.)

Today during our book talk/project presentation, four weeks from the date she checked out Divergent, Mary confessed to her new secret obsession:  Reading.  

After admitting to binge-reading so she could find out what happened next, she giggled,"I wish I would have found books earlier!  This is great!"  And then, with a sheepish grin, she asked, "Do you have the next book, Insurgent?"  

I thought her head might explode when I told her that I not only had Insurgent -- I have Allegiant ... AND Four!  ...and her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Mission accomplished.  

Bibiophile created.  

Career Search: Finishing Touches ~ Part 3 of 3

Students working together to put finishing touches,
 the "editing phase" on their building project.

REVIEW:  In Part 1, Career Search, we discussed laying the groundwork for selecting the topic. establishing a thesis, and constructing the topic sentences that help guide body of the essay.  Part 2 featured the framework and working parts of the MLA essay; it builds the actual structure. Now, in Part 3 it is time for the finishing touches.

ADDING THE BLING:  Sure, a house can be a house without the the paint and trim, but it might not be much to look at.

This is similar to the editing process.

LET MSWORD BE YOUR "RED PEN":
Above and beyond a spell check, Word features GRAMMAR AND STYLE check.

• In Word 2007, students can click on the REVIEW tab at the top, SPELLING AND GRAMMAR, and OPTIONS in the bottom left corner. 
• In Word 2010, students can click on the Outlook icon in the upper left corner and select OPTIONS.  

From here, students should click on the "Grammar Only" dropdown arrow above RECHECK DOCUMENT and change it to GRAMMAR & STYLE.  Now, click on SETTINGS to the right of the dropdown box, and then click OK.  

http://visual.ly/oxford-comma-0 

Now, it's time to check out what's inside!  I always click "comma required before last list item" because I like the oxford comma.  

Other common errors that the Grammar and Style check will find are:

• fragments and runons
• comma splices
• fragments
• misused apostrophes
• unclear pronouns
• wordiness

Using this feature in Word not only saves the life of a teacher's red pen, it helps a student own his or her independent  revisions BEFORE they show it to another soul.  One important mini lesson I always give starts with: Why?

"Why is the computer suggesting you add a comma after this phrase.  Do you agree with the computer's suggestion?"

WHAT IF A STUDENT DISAGREES WITH THE COMPUTER'S SUGGESTION?

"YOU are the author. You CAN tell the computer, 'Thank you for your suggestion, but I'm going to keep it how I wrote it'."  Knowing that they can choose to ignore a blue or green underlined correction, also leads to the understanding that, if they decide to take the computer's suggestion for edits, they own that change and should know why the change is recommended; when they don't, the procedure has been for them to ask; in the end, they will be tested on the concept, so they may as well learn it now!

FIND:  I also show students the FIND icon in the HOME tab.  I click on the binoculars and show them how to type in words like "thing" so they can find all their typically used "wimpy words."  Word will highlight ever combination that has "thing" inside.  I then chalenge the kiddos to select a more concise, precise word.    I also scan the paper and have students find words like "so," "and," and the like.   Too many repeats of aword.  Finally, I scan for repeats of the same word at the beginning of the sentences.  .  

SYNONYMS:  Just as a realtor will complete a final walk-through to fix finishing touches before putting the house on the market for all to see, a writer should make last minute fix-it before publishing.  

PEER EDITS:  Typically, after completing an initial edit on their paper, students are ready to have someone look over their paper, but this editing process is another topic for another time.  I take the column where the students can earn the most points, and change into a peer review checklist.  Students will be able to become exposed to other student's good and bad ideas.  

Before I collect the essays, I distribute the rubrics for students to staple onto their papers; this is another opportunity for students to have clear expectations.  After all, students should understand WHY they earned the grade on the paper.  

REFLECTION:  "It's like having you sit with me but there's less nagging and and it saves your red pen!"  

Career I-Search: Building the Essay ~ Part 2 of 3

"A thesis provides the firm foundation of an
essay.  It is the strongest point a writer can make and it
bears the weight of your ideas."

REVIEW ~ "THE FIRM FOUNDATION":  The wise man built his house upon the rock, right?  Just like every house needs to have a firm foundation, our kiddos need to have a strong understanding of the purpose for their writing. This is where a thesis statement comes in.

• I sometimes avoid calling it research right at first; the word tends to scare off students who will want to naturally want to investigate resources to find answers to questions.

"Topic sentences frame your writing.  They provide
an organized place for the supporting details."

TOPIC SENTENCES ~ "THE BASIC FRAME": created in "Career I-Search Part 1":  Now that they have a hook (their career, why they chose that career, what they already know about it), and their purpose or thesis (that they have questions -- even listing the questions as a roadmap statement), they're ready to consider topic sentences -- their questions from yesterday's lesson at the top of each page of the worksheet packet, Body 1-3.

I tell the students this:  These topic sentences support the essay.  They become a blueprint that shapes the essay.  They invite the writer to stick to the plan, and if there IS a change in direction, the topic sentences allow for a constructive change that will not topple the overall design.

RESOURCES ~ "THE WORKABLE COMPONENTS":  Next, I invite students to consider WHERE they will find their answers.  Most just say, "Google," but when I ask them WHICH site on google, they're not sure.  Again -- I encourage them to go to www.bls.gov.

"Resources are the working part of an essay.
They illuminate your ideas and make your
points clear and credible.

"But where else can you go to find the answers to what you want to know?" I ask.  Yes -- the internet is a great place to go to find just about anything; also, resources like eLibrary will help students locate legitimate resources, but there are more places to find information than from a computer.  Yes -- there are more places to find information than from a book or any type of publication.  If a teacher keeps at it, these are typical responses.

"Consider this:  Do you now of anyone you can go to and ask them a few questions?"  Yes -- primary resources can and should be utilized for this project.   For my kids, they go to their shop teachers for information; some may know of business leaders or members of the career community who would love to share what they know about their career.   Regardless, interviewing an expert in the field of study is a solid idea.

CITING THE SITE:  From our trips to the library and the presentation about how to avoid plagiarism, students know that it's not cool to steal someone else's ideas.  Now they know how important it is to give the author credit, they need to know this: How can students cite their sources?

In addition to our school's citation reference books, I also show students how they can use citation tools like www.easybib.com and www.citationmachine.net.

Students working together to put finishing touches,
 the "editing phase" on their building project.

Citing resources can be compared to the working part of the essay.  If a writer uses his or her own point of view, the essay becomes no more than opinion.  When a writer uses outside resources to make connections, he or she takes the essay to a whole new level!  It can be compared to the wiring and pluming in a house.  Without these two features, the house is no more than a shed.

ADDING THE BLING:  Sure, a house can be a house without the finishing touches, but it might not be much to look at.

This is similar to the editing process.

Above and beyond a spell check, Word features GRAMMAR AND STYLE check; In Microsoft Office 2007, .