Magic Moments in the Classroom

After a slow start to this year, the last few weeks have been so much better. I like to call it classroom magic. (Magic because it just happens. I can't really plan it.)

Magic Moment #1:
Students read part of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and then searched for ten photos that showed people enjoying those rights or people denied those rights. (One student took it a bit further and showed people protesting for those rights.)
   
The next part of the assignment was to merge slides with a classmate. Together, they searched for a song that shared the theme of their photos and turned it into a musical slideshow.
     
To say that these were powerful would be an understatement. "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed, "Imagine" by John Lennon, and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and "We Are the World" were just some of the songs backing some pretty haunting images.
     
Magic. (It didn't hurt that the students were pretty proud of their work.)

Magic Moment #2:
My classes memorize "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrea for Veterans Day. We study the structure, rhythm, and rhyme of the poem, but mainly we study the significance of the poem for Veterans.  Tiny Town High has a close relationship with the military in our community and many military kids attend our school.
     
Anyway, the students have been practicing the poem daily. Today, I had my classes on the stage in my room for another activity. When they finished that assignment, I had them recite the poem in a darkened room with only the stage lights. There was a haunting quality to this every hour, but 7th hour gave me chills.
       
My small 7th hour class has nine boys and no girls. These young men gathered in a tight group and this is part of what they recited:
       
   "We are the dead, short days ago
          We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
             Loved and were loved, and now we lie
                In Flanders Fields.
     Take up our quarrel with the foe,
            To you from failing hands we throw
                 The torch, be yours to hold it high
                    If ye break faith with us who die
                       We shall not sleep though poppies grow
                           In Flanders Fields."

Those nine young men could have been the soldiers of the past and some will be the soldiers of the future. Those youthful faces made the poem so much more significant. I don't know about them, but I will never forget that moment.

I'd like to think that I control the magic in my classroom, but I don't. I think magic just happens, and these are the moments we teach for.

The Not So Necessary

This app has been a nice addition to the holiday classroom.

Fireplace 3D. If I can't have the real thing, this is pretty darn close. In fact, with this free app you get the dancing fire and the crackling sound of burning logs. I project it from my iPad.

Some students swear my room feels warmer, and today, I would have sworn I smelled smoke.

OK. Maybe we're all losing it.

I don't know the last time I enjoyed a free app this much.  (I might be compensating for the lack of windows in my classroom.)

Sometimes, it's the little things, folks!

One Step Forward, Two Steps...

You know the drill.  I was so hoping that I was making progress.  It was too good to be true.

We had spent a week or so discussing the history of our English language, where it came from, and where it seems to be heading.  We even spent some time wondering if the technology of today puts us into the Post Modern Era of the English language.

Then, I listened to my students having a Socratic Seminar on English usage today.  Students doubted the articles that said applicants were using text lingo on job applications.  They guffawed.  "We know when to use text language and when we shouldn't."  Uh...right.

The next day, I pointed them in the direction of our classroom blog.  There was a post for Extra Credit. (OK. Mainly to make sure that they actually knew how to access the blog!) The comments they had posted the week before were horrifying.  They didn't capitalize "I," "English," or sometimes even their own name.

"No one sees the blog, Mrs. E."

Well, I do.  Students in my classes do. Their parents do. Colleagues can and do.  Other English teachers could.  What would any of those people think of me as an English teacher after they read the student comments? I told them I was doubtful that I would even have a job.

The assignment for that day was to read the comments on that post and see how many had errors.  They then were to pick the ten worst offenders, copy them into a document, and rewrite the comment using correct grammar.

And a hush fell over the room...

(I probably should let you know that I assured them that I would post no more comments with such blatant disrespect for our language.)

Yes, just when you think your students are making progress...!

Sophomores do such a great job of keeping me humble.

Today's Meet Technology

Originally made for business purposes, this is one of the best technology tools I have put to use in my classroom in the last few years.

This site is an easy one to use on the spur of the moment.  There is no creating an account, signing in, or remembering a password.  In fact, the screenshot shows you what you see when you type in the website.

Step One is to name your room.

I typed in "trial" and had a red X, meaning it was already in use.  I just added in trialanderror.  You can name your room anything that isn't already in use.  The green checkmark tells me that room is available. The rooms can last from two hours to one year; the choice is up to you.  This room will be deleted in one week.  If I want shorter or longer, I just click on the arrow for the pull down menu.  (Shorter is better, in my opinion.  Students like to get in and cause havoc, so it is best if the room disappears as soon as possible.)  Now all I have to do is click on the the "Create your Room" button.  That's it.  You are ready to go!

I am always the first one to post in my room.  I put my name, and I insist on students using their own name or they don't participate.  Anyone can join the conversation.  You are always "talking" (typing) on the right side and listening (reading what others are saying) on the left side.

I post the link to my room.  (It is always like this: todaysmeet.com/+the name of your room  So my link would be:  http://todaysmeet.com/trialanderror)  Students go to the link on their computers and then they join the room and can comment on the day's class.  (Particularly useful in discussing videos in class without interrupting the video. Everyone will need a computer to be able to comment/question and to follow the thread of discussion.)  It works like Twitter.  They have 140 characters and can comment as often as they like.

Notice the word "transcript" at the bottom of the screenshot.  At the end of the class period, I can print out the transcript of what was written in class.  (Handy for students who are absent, but also to have a record for a daily grade.)  One word of caution, I usually change the font to 11 point.  If a discussion is lengthy, the transcript can use a lot of paper when you print it out.

Besides using this during films, I love using this when the students are listening to a reading.  I project the "Today's Meet" room on the white board.  Everyone in the room has the opportunity to use the discussion thread if they need it.

To get a picture of the room: the students have the book, an audio tape of the book is running, Today's Meet is projected on the whiteboard, and (some) students have a computer and are on the Today's Meet link. You might think it is too much for the students, but this is a generation of multi-taskers.  

There are two ways I can work this:
1.  The students can use the link to ask questions about things they don't understand or confusing vocabulary.  I can respond to questions on the link as quickly as they crop up.  There is no interrupting of the story to do this.

2.  I can be the only person on the Today's Meet room, and I can guide their reading by typing things I want them to notice or think about as the story progresses. They can refer to the whiteboard projection of the Today's Meet conversation or not.  It is their choice.

To be honest, a combination of these two ways works the best for me.  Guiding them, but answering questions that crop up makes it a great tool for everyone.  It reaches the students who need the most help, guides the students who let their attention drift, and gives the great students a chance to share their thoughts.

If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend http://todaysmeet.com  I don't think you'll be sorry that you tried it!