6th Grade Autobiography stories to come

Will be starting autobiographical writing with my 6th graders later this week.

I do wonder what stories they will choose to write about their lives. Many tell me that they have little to say about themselves.

Example: today I asked community circle: what did you do this weekend? Most said little other than videogames and family visits.

I think the family visits are probably very rich events to describe, but they rarely (never) expand upon these stories.

I suspect my students feel their lives aren't worthy of writing. My primary task will be to show them otherwise.

(I wish I had family visits to write about ...)

Esperando el inicio de mi segunda asignatura

Modos de conducir el aula.

Es interesante estudiar la maestría através del Internet.

Interesante y también difícil.

Interesante y a veces, frustrante.

Pero siento que me ayuda a ser mejor maestro y más actualizado. Ni hablar de cómo me ayuda a mejorar mi dominio del español.

Definición

El Adamiaje: Este término metafórico hace referencia al fenómeno que se produce cuando el conjunto de intervenciones del participante competente en una interacción permiten al participante menos competente realizar un enunciado que no hubiera podido hacer sin su ayuda y, por tanto, puede alcanzar una competencia, un nivel superior a la actual.

Dos tipos de comunicación en el aula

La comunicación en clase de lengua se ha definido como 


transaccional : se transmite información, como, por ejemplo, en el caso en que el profesor explica algún punto gramatical o da la definición de alguna palabra;


interactiva : la comunicación con fines personales, reales y comunicativos, como en el caso del profesor que le pregunta a un alumno/a si ha pasado un buen fin de semana.

¿Qué tipo de maestr@ eres tú?

un director: establece condiciones idóneas para el aprendizaje;

un organizador: planifica el desarrollo de la clase y elabora actividades;

un guía: organiza el trabajo en clase y ayuda a solventar problemas;

una fuente de información: proporciona información necesaria para la realización de actividades;

un evaluador: analiza el progreso de los alumnos; reflexiona sobre la propia actuación;

un investigador: investiga sobre las necesidades de los alumnos y analiza la dinámica de grupo.

Homínidos en mente

Amazon.com (a poem)

Package at doorstep 

means you, excited,

scurry up wooden steps.

News: your red

plastic Halo Megablocks

arrived, finally

lifting gloom

to forgotten heights.

Play!

Play as long

as you can.

Play, but also

sing to them,

leave no note,

not one,

held inside 

unsung.

Sing!

Let your red

Halo song symphony

burst out of nothingness,

divine in delight

each figure making

something out of nothing,

in your mind,

with energy sublime.

Formando grupos "virtuales" para mi Masters

Hoy pasé un poco de locura tratando de encontrar 3 personas para formar un grupo de trabajo "virtual" dentro del curso de Modos de conducir el aula del programa de FUNIBER.

Me puse a pensar lo dificil que es para nuestros alumnos cuando l@s maestr@s pidan lo mismo a sus alumn@s en un salón físico. Es incómodo adivinar si tu grupo va a funcionar o si van hacia el fracaso.

Tengo esperanza de que todo saldrá bien, pero no se puede decir que fue fácil. Es una buena lección para mi en el momento de pedir a mis estudiantes formar grupos.

Clatter

I'll just admit:

wind is harassing

my little red shack.

Trembling, it cries,

and sounds like

a big baby rattle

(an object made,

I do believe,

to mimic some

ancient sound) 

It’s not unlike

the insanity

of endless ideas

clattering my

eyes and ears,

fingers and tongue

to collaborate

and re-create

the simple echo of 

what I’ll just admit.

The only truth, ever

At times I learn

no truth for whole days

until my boy insists

that I listen. 

Floating, sinking and

floating again

in his sound, his voice

the stories invade,

heroes in conflict,

dramatic dialogues,

no pauses:

bit rather

action and action.

I listen.

I float 

in his voice,

repetitive, 

so excited,

dense in detail.

My heart slows,

dances in little 

somersaults

amongst clouds. 

Only then do I

release tiny sighs,

open my fists,

smooth the frown

stare at his moving lips:

Only then do I

see.

How real we are

in the stories we tell

no matter the fiction

from which they spring.

No longer the quizzer,

the teacher, 

the disciplinarian.

I am the listener

the only truth

I need to remember, 

ever.

Canción favorita: Alfonsina y el mar: Mercedes Sosa

Alfonsina Y El Mar

Mercedes Sosa

Composión: Ariel Ramirez / Felix Luna

Por la blanda arena

Que lame el mar

Su pequeña huella

No vuelve más

Un sendero solo

De pena y silencio llegó

Hasta el agua profunda

Un sendero solo

De penas mudas llegó

Hasta la espuma.

Sabe Dios qué angustia

Te acompañó

Qué dolores viejos

Calló tu voz

Para recostarte

Arrullada en el canto

De las caracolas marinas

La canción que canta

En el fondo oscuro del mar

La caracola.

Te vas Alfonsina

Con tu soledad

¿Qué poemas nuevos

Fuíste a buscar?

Una voz antigüa

De viento y de sal

Te requiebra el alma

Y la está llevando

Y te vas hacia allá

Como en sueños

Dormida, Alfonsina

Vestida de mar.

Cinco sirenitas

Te llevarán

Por caminos de algas

Y de coral

Y fosforescentes

Caballos marinos harán

Una ronda a tu lado

Y los habitantes

Del agua van a jugar

Pronto a tu lado.

Bájame la lámpara

Un poco más

Déjame que duerma

Nodriza, en paz

Y si llama él

No le digas que estoy

Dile que Alfonsina no vuelve

Y si llama él

No le digas nunca que estoy

Di que me he ido.

Te vas Alfonsina

Con tu soledad

¿Qué poemas nuevos

Fueste a buscar?

Una voz antigua

De viento y de sal

Te requiebra el alma

Y la está llevando

Y te vas hacia allá

Como en sueños

Dormida, Alfonsina

Vestida de mar.

Refrán del momento

Cuando te señalen el sol, no mires el dedo.

6th Grade Spanish Immersion Reading List

Refrán del momento

A cada puerco le llega su sabado.

 

(pobrecita...) 

Poesía

EN LA BRECHA

José de Diego

¡Ah desgraciado si el dolor te abate,

si el cansancio tus miembros entumece!

Haz como el árbol seco: reverdece

y como el germen enterrado: late.

Resurge, alienta, grita, anda, combate,

vibra, ondula, retruena, resplandece...

Haz como el río con la lluvia: ¡crece!

Y como el mar contra la roca: ¡bate!

De la tormenta al iracundo empuje,

no has de balar, como el cordero triste,

sino rugir, como la fiera ruge.

¡Levántate!, ¡revuélvete!, ¡resiste!

Haz como el toro acorralado: ¡muge!

O como el toro que no muge: ¡embiste!

Love, polished and pure

On the whole

your love is good,

pure and polished.  

But say

on the school yard

your son does bad

action one day

-like- perhaps hurting another,

maybe too brusque for taste,

too boy in the moment

embarrassing you,

or perhaps, worst

exposing imperfections.

So you withdraw

symbols of love

-like- eye contact,

caresses,

silly smiles, voice

and he cries.

He sobs,

begins to shake

like a child

(he is a child)

He reaches up,

to nothing,

or crouches down

into a tiny ball.

“I’m sorry” he whispers

between tears,

hoarse, paused,

then adds

“I’m scared”.

“Daddy?”

Then, only then,

do you cry

begin to sob,

to sob with him,

for him,

sobbing alone

from a hurt inside

as wide as the sky

And then, right then,

do you know

what love was,

and just what

it might become.

-Glenn Kenyon, 2010

Creando nuestros proprios glosarios geográficos

En vez de simplemente explicarles el uso de un glosario, yo decidí que sería más interesante que mis estudiantes trabajaran en pareja para crear sus propios glosarios. Fotocopié el imágen de un glosario geográfico de nuestro texto donde todos los términos se ilustraban en una especie de mapa.

Les pedí que escribieran todos los términos en órden alfabético en su cuaderno, ya que un glosario se organiza igual a un diccionario. Luego les pedí que hablaran con su pareja y que escribieran una corta definción para cada palabra. Si no sabían bien el signficado, les pedí que vieran de cerca la ilustración que tenía. Si después de esto no lograran a entender, que dejaran en blanco y se discutiría en clase.

Pasaron casi 90 minutos en esta actividad y me impresionó el nivel de involucramiento que hubo, esto siendo apenas el cuarto día de clase. Recibí una cantidad de preguntas relevantes y además, sirivió como una pequeña evaluación sobre cuánto ya sabían y cómo iban a colaborar en clase.

Me espera un año fantástico, ya lo veo. :-)

Lectura al final del día.

New job

This year I have started a new job, returning to my roots as a Spanish Immersion teacher, but instead of elementary, I am teaching 6th grade Immersion at a middle school. I have come to love teaching middle school and feel I have a lot to offer my students. For the past 5 years I have been a 7th and 8th grade math teacher at a private school. I loved my job and love the school (my son goes there), but there was a change in the air, so I decided to see what jobs were out in there that intrigued me. Luckily with my professional background as math and bilingual teacher, there were quite of few options and I was able to choose. That is how I came to my new job.

I do love my job, not even faking a little. I can't believe I actually fell into it accidentally. I feels like it was waiting for me patiently. Last night I had dinner with a good friend and former colleague from my previous school and I did feel a few tiny pangs about not returning, but only slight ones and they will disappear quickly when compared with what I am living professionally. 

My new principal and colleagues are over the top supportive and just appreciative of the order I bring to chaos, which has always been my reputation. They trust me and see that I deserve that trust. I am humbled daily by this faith in my capacity and work hard to be worthy of it. 


Now that I am teaching Spanish Language Arts, I am once again relishing speaking Spanish and helping kids improve in language in general. Perhaps a math teacher (as much as I love teaching math) just never will have that type of relationship with students due to subject matter fears and prejudices.

I am in a fantastic job situation, too, because they capped my classes at around 20 students each, only 4 more than my previous school, and my students' attitudes are miles beyond the "put upon" attitudes of my former students. No irritating adjunct duties, either. No recess or lunch duties. My own classroom. Two prep periods a day plus a lunch period. Sometimes I wonder if I am dreaming.

So in the end, I am responsible for fewer students over all, less high school pressure, happier students, excited administrators, supportive colleagues, and and more $$$. I just can't find the downside to this change, other than it was forced upon me against my will.

Not everything forced upon us is bad. So say we all. 

What is the defining difference between history and prehistory?

According to Wikipedia:




The history of the world is the memory of the past experience of Homo sapiens sapiens around the world, as that experience has been preserved, largely in written records. By "prehistory", historians mean the recovery of knowledge of the past in an area where no written records exist, or where the writing of a culture is not understood.




That seems like a great demarcation and a great point from which my students will come to understand history.


In class we started with a Venn Diagram: one side history, other prehistory and the common area would be which characteristics are shared: artifacts, analysis and interpretation where ideas I wanted them to intially have there.

Glenn dando clase introductoria: escribir una carta a ti mismo/a

Using Images to Channel Student Intuition about School

I have been doing this activity for several years with older private school students and public university students. I give them a set of images I have collected over the years that could symbolize any number of feelings about the school year in indirect manners. In my new job as 6th grade teacher at a public middle school, I was wondering just what these images would elicit from my students. I asked them to look at the images, choose one that seemed to represent something about their school year, then spend some time describing the image in writing. Then I gave them a sentence starter: This image represents me because....

Here are a couple of example:

I did this activity with my English class of students from our Spanish Immersion Program. It took about 30 minutes. I was impressed with the positive energy expressed by most and the sense of fear from other. I thought that the Rock picture interpretation by the first student was particularly poignant. I hope I am not just stacking her again.

6th Grade Goal Setting for my English Language Class

6th Grade Goal

As you start 6th grade and Middle School, you will learn that you are more and more in charge and responsible for your own learning. If you have a good understanding of what you want to happen as a result of your work, you are far more likely to achieve it.

This about these questions and answer them carefully and honestly. They will help you set goals for your own education and guide you towards making good decisions.

1. What is one thing you are good at and how do you know this?

1. What is one thing you need to work on to get better and how do you know this?

1. Write one specific goal for one thing you would like to achieve in school while in the 6th grade.

1. List any challenges that might prevent you from reaching this goal.

1. List any benefits from reaching this goal.

6.  Who can help you reach this goal and how can they do this?

Presentando Glenn 2010

La presentación que preparé para mis alumnos el primer día de clases.

Presentando glenn2010

View more presentations from pepepacha.

Word Generation and Sixth Grade Orientation

Today was a District wide inservice on Word Generation, a program developed in Boston to help explicitly teach academic language. I liked the scope and the focus and look forward to implementing it.

It was fun to see all my school's new sixth graders and families wander the school during orientation tonight. It was "fun" to be translating once again.

First Day in New School

My first day was very nice. Extremely friendly and warm staff. Very interesting building. I am coming to really like my classroom: huge space with lots of potential and only for me and my students. Great teaching partner as well. Jitters gone.