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Appreciate the Most Unappreciated Teacher in Kid Lit History!

Watch these talented kindergartners learn a serious lesson in teacher appreciation in this adorable adaptation of "Miss Nelson is Missing."

 

Reflection on Learning

After taking this course I've learned that trial-and-error will be my best friend.  Flexibility is necessary when teaching because a lesson does not always go as planned (and that's OK).  Discussion, collaboration with colleagues, and ongoing reflection are key for professional growth.  I will need to make a conscious effort to make this happen.

Teaching English is tricky because pieces of literature are very nuanced.  To a large extent, meaning is subjective.  It is my job to make students aware of these nuances and give them the tools to support their points of views.  This can be accomplished through discussion and a WIDE variety of learning activities and instructional strategies.

Assignment 3A

This past week, I was able to implement one day of my lesson plan with four of our TAs.  After explaining my purpose to them, they were kind enough to stay take a seat in my kindergarten classroom afterschool for an hour to learn about the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.  For the purposes of this lesson, we focused on this eight grade language arts standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

To begin my lesson on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart,” we started off with a warm-up activity from Paula Rutherford’s book.   I chose “Graffiti” which required that the students write their thoughts on chart paper posted around the room. This activity also served as our pre-assessment.    I wrote three statements from “The Tell Tale Heart” on the chart paper.  They were:

1.     “He had the eye of a vulture”

2.     “A watch’s minute hand moves more quickly than did mine.”

3.     “Never before that night had a felt the extent of my own powers – of my sagacity”

I asked them “What do these statements mean? How do you know?” I instructed alk around the room to each chart and discuss the statements with their classmates. They were each given markers and asked to write their opinions on the chart paper.  The students moved from chart to chart, and wrote their ideas about the statement.  The purpose of this activity was for me to check for their understanding word choice and figurative language.   

My rubric for this assessment is as follows:

Check +: Students understand are able to identify word choice and figurative language that set the tone and are able to explain it.

Check: Students can identify words or figurative language that can set the tone, but cannot explain it clearly.

Check -: Students are not able to identify words or figurative language that set the tone.

At first, my students seemed unclear as to how to approach the activity.  A modification I had to make was to model how to complete one of the charts.  After my demonstration, they understood the task and were able to complete the rest on their own.  I could see that my class as a whole would receive a “check” on the assessment rubric.  They could underline the words and figurative language that set the tone, but their explanations lacked detail.  I also noticed that they had difficulty with the word “sagacity.”   Because of that I though that a good modification to make would be to give the students the time to skim the passage so they can identify unfamiliar words.  Understanding the vocabulary will make the content more accessible to the students.  Because of the vocabulary issue, I would modify the rubric as follows:

Check +: Students understand the vocabulary, and are able to identify word choice and figurative language that set the tone.  They are able to explain it clearly.

Check: Students may have difficulty with the vocabulary.  They can identify words or figurative language that can set the tone, but cannot explain it clearly.

Check -: Students have difficulty with vocabulary.  Students are not able to identify words or figurative language that set the tone.

Although vocabulary isn’t a part of the standard, it is a crucial stepping stone to understanding the tone of the piece.  Depending on how my class does, I may need to spend some time pre-teaching vocabulary, especially I have English language learners or special needs students in my class.  We had a brief discussion afterwards about what we thought and wrote.  There was some debate and a little confusion, but that was to be expected since the lesson had not yet been taught.  It was a strong warm-up and we then proceeded to read from “The Tell Tale Heart.”

Assignment 3B

Based on our pre-assessment rubric, I could see that my class as a whole could identify the words and figurative language that set the tone of Poe’s “The Tell Tale Heart”, but their explanations lacked detail.  I could also see that they might have trouble with the vocabulary.

Out of my week-long lesson plan, I chose to do Day 4 which was planned as follows:

·      I will show a video from PBS that explains that the author's "style" is like the personality of the story, and then demonstrates this with a dramatic reading of "The Tell Tale Heart." 
Elements of Style - The Tell Tale Heart

·      Seeing this video will allow my students to see and hear the narrator read the story completely in character, by watching the character read and act out the story, students will also see how figurative language influences the tone of the piece.  We will discuss these literary elements as a class to better understand the author’s purpose. 

·      Their “ticket to leave” will be to answer the following journal prompt on an index card: “Choose a sentence from “The Tell Tale Heart” and describe how word choice and/or figurative language shape the tone.  How would you describe the tone?”

·      Instructional strategies: sustained silent reading, Oral reading, choral reading, probing questions, SDAIE, modeling, feedback to students, use of media/videos.

Right off the bat, I had to change my lesson plan based on my pre-assessment results.  Because I saw the vocabulary could be difficult, we took some time to read silently and skim the passage to identify unfamiliar words.  Because this took some time, I also had to modify the lesson by focusing on just a short excerpt.  We read out loud trying to read the passage in the character’s voice.  We then saw a video of “The Tell Tale Heart” and had a discussion about HOW the narrator read his lines and how word choice/figurative language drove the tone.  The students enjoyed the video very much and after watching it, they had a lot of commentary about it.  Seeing and hearing the words come to life really helped them link diction and figurative language to tone.  I guided the discussion with probing questions and it seemed to flow very well.  This is the part of the lesson I enjoyed the most!  Having a discussion with my students was stimulating for both of us.

Their formative assessment was to answer a journal prompt on an index card.  This assessment was also their “ticket to leave” and my way to wrap up the lesson.  Based on that assessment, I could see that they had a better grasp on how diction and figurative language impact tone.  They identified words and phrases and explained the tone of the piece, but I could see that they needed to state the tone in a more explicit way.  Instead of using vague words like “dark” or “gloomy” to describe the tone, I would like my students to describe more concretely with words like “enigmatic” or “ominous.”  I would also like them to be more detailed in their commentary.

In addition to the changes I already mentioned, I would also change a few other things about my lesson.  I think that I bit off more than I could chew, so I would change the lesson plan for the week and only focus on one reading standard.  I would rather that my students gain a deeper understanding of one standard rather than a superficial understanding of many standards, so it would be better for me the change the focus of the lesson.  Because writing is going to be an important part of their demonstration of knowledge, I would also add a writing standard to my lesson to give their writing more focus.  The most important thing I have learned after all of this is that flexibility is the key.  Our lesson plans will sometimes not go as planned and we have to be ready to change them in a moment.  Students will have questions obstacles, and we will need to address them even if it means modifying a whole week’s worth of lesson planning.  Our lessons will also change based on our assessment results.  Assessments are not only meant to provide feedback to students, but they are also meant to guide our instruction.

Celebrating Earth Day with a Madonna-fied version of "The Giving Tree"

So, after a month of filming/editing/singing/recording/tree-building/prop-making, we finally completed our Earth Day project! Our kindergarten class proudly presents a touching adaptation of Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree." Set to Madonna's haunting ballad, "Live to Tell," watch these kids pull at your heartstrings as they act and sing to a timeless classic.

Introduction

Welcome to our Kindergarten Vogue blog! My name is Arturo Aviña and I am a kindergarten teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District.   Back in 2002, I graduated from UC Berkeley and found myself at a crossroads.  I was contemplating applying to graduate school to continue my studies in psychology, or becoming a social worker.  Although both paths had their appeal, the thought of taking either one caused me a bit of anxiety.  They just didn’t feel right.  It wasn’t until I went to bed one night and literally had a dream that gave me piercing clarity.  In my dream, I was a teacher.  As simple and as cheesy as that may sound, it was one of those dreams that you wake from feeling elated and inspired.   I knew that morning that I wanted to become a teacher and a year later, I began my teaching career in a kindergarten classroom at Mayberry Elementary School in Los Angeles.

While at Mayberry Elementary, I was heavily influenced by hard-working, creative teachers who had a tradition of ending their school year with a play.  For me, directing my students in a play became the biggest highlight of my school year.  I loved it so much that I eventually started an afterschool drama club and had the opportunity to produce plays with kids in kindergarten through 6^th grade.  These productions were some of the most rewarding of my career. 

Due to declining enrollment at Mayberry Elementary, I was displaced and transferred to Olympic Primary Center near Downtown Los Angeles.  As if that weren’t heartbreaking enough, I later received a pink slip from my district after 9 years of service due to budget issues.   I was demoralized by all of it and ready to leave the profession, but I loved my group of kindergartners and was determined to end the school year on a high note.  I bought a video camera so that I could record our final stage performance, a kindergarten interpretation of Madonna’s “Vogue.”  I posted the performance on YouTube and what happened next was amazing.  The video started to get shared and a week later, The Huffington Post was writing about it!  My pink slip was rescinded and my faith was renewed. 

I returned the next school year with newfound motivation and since then, we’ve gone into overdrive with plays, performances, and film.  My interest in the performing arts lead me to develop a YouTube channel that showcases the work and talent of my students.  Being an avid pop music fan, I strive to blend pop music (Madonna being my favorite) into our shows to create performance pieces that both children and adults can enjoy. We hope that viewers enjoy our performances as much as we've enjoyed creating them.

After twelve years of teaching kindergarten, I have decided that it is time to take the next step in my career.  I am currently seeking to add subject matter authorization in English to my multiple subject credential so that I will be allowed to teach theater on a full time basis with LAUSD. 

Coincidentally, after taking a few online inventories on personality, and teaching/learning styles, this choice fits well with my choice to teach theater.  I am an INFJ (introverted, intuition, feeling, judgment) personality type.   I have found that teaching theater and planning for productions involves deep thinking and concentration (introversion), an ability to see potential and possibilities (intuition), an ability to value and appreciate individual talents (feeling), and the capability to make decisions (judgment).   I believe that my personality type allows me to see the creative potential in my students and allows me to find ways to use their strengths in productions. 

After taking the teaching-and-learning styles survey by Felder & Solomon, I found that I am pretty balanced in three of the four domains, which makes it easier to cater to a variety of learning styles.  However, I rated particularly high as a visual learner.  Since most people are visual learners, I am able to meet many of m students needs through my use of visual aids, props, and demonstrations. It makes sense considering that theater is a very visual art form, but as an instructor, I need to make a more conscious effort to reach the students that are stronger verbal learners.  Incorporating more extensive verbal and written explanations would be useful as well as having students work in groups.  

That being said, I look forward to my growth as an educator and hope to continue with creative ventures in theater.  In the meantime, check out some news articles written about our kindergarten extravaganzas... 

Los Angeles Times: In This Innovative Kindergarten Class, A is for "Action" 

The Huffington Post: Madonna's "Vogue" Performed by Kindergarten Class 

Take Part: Watch These Kindergartners Break Out of School and Rock to The Ramones