Advanced 10

I have dislexia.

I was in classes that helped me with reading from 2nd to 5th grade. I tested out of RSP when I went to middle school but still struggled with reading. My 8th grade English teacher refused to let me go into advanced English or Spanish when I went on to high school.

Now I teach advanced English. This is insane to me. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE it. I've had advanced 11 for a few years now and l.o.v.e. it.

This year in my mail box I got the memo that I would be teaching Advanced 10. I was a little shocked and then progressively excited.

I found out what the books are and now I'm interested in adding two more supplemental books to the list. We have four books for supplemental reading and I would like to be able to let students choose four - these are the four that are already on the list

Joy Luck Club
Native Son
All Quiet on the Western Front
Things Fall Apart

Core Lit:
Of Mice and Men
Night
Julius Caesar
Animal Farm

If you were going to add two titles what would they be?

It's world lit - I was kinda hoping for a good piece with a latino/a background.

Thoughts?

Imagery assignment

if you get the chance to teach Shakespeare's Julius Caesar - you have to rock this assignment.

The kids had a blast. i let them use a whole hour to finish. there was part of me that thought i should be doing something more "academic" but they were really looking deeply into the text and having a good ol' time. so we kept working.

So here is what you do.

Begin by reading Act II scene ii and address the fact that Calpurnia has this crazy dream - really it's a nightmare - about Caesar dying. She begs him to stay in the house and not go to the senate. so he tells her to calm down and deal with it. This does not go so well for Caesar. Very important lesson - Men: Listen to your wife!

So my kids go bonkers talking about what a wicked dream that must have been. So i had them pick a line from her little warning and draw it. Most of them picked the line about fierce fiery warriors fighting in the clouds and their blood falling like rain on the capitol. The boys were loving this!

Here is the speech for a little reminder

CALPURNIA Caesar, I never stood on ceremonies,
Yet now they fright me. There is one within,
Besides the things that we have heard and seen,
Recounts most horrid sights seen by the watch.
A lioness hath whelped in the streets;
And graves have yawn'd, and yielded up their dead;
Fierce fiery warriors fought upon the clouds,
In ranks and squadrons and right form of war,
Which drizzled blood upon the Capitol;
The noise of battle hurtled in the air,
Horses did neigh, and dying men did groan,
And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets.
O Caesar! these things are beyond all use,
And I do fear them.

we had a great time. i'm trying to pick the best ones to go up on the wall. what little wall space i have left. :)

Hail Caesar!

It was awesome. The weather was perfect (gloomy just like in the first act). The kids were loving the outfit.

Here's the play-by-play.

Got to school and made copies of the quiz. It was only a five question multiple choice 'pop quiz'.

*Side note - As a teacher I don't believe in pop quizzes. I think that in life we generally have the ability to know when things we will be tested on will arise. What good does it do for a kid to not know that a quiz is coming. So when I plan on giving a quiz to kids that they don't know about far in advance I give them the heads up.

"Okay class we just covered Shakespeare and his Play Julius Caesar - we will begin the play next week. The information we just covered is important and you will need to remember it because there MIGHT be a QUIZ on TUESDAY - WINK WINK - NUDGE NUDGE!."

One child raises their hand - Mrs. Parsons
Me - Yes child
Child - ummm so like is there going to be a quiz is that why you told us that?
Me. - I think it would be a good idea to study because there might be a quiz
Child - so like .... ummm *child turns to person next to him and whispers* there is gonna be a quiz
Child #2 - YES THERE IS A QUIZ
Me - yup.

I guess my side note was longer than I planned. please excuse.

Made Copies
Got in my Caesar gear. Headband - Sheet and Sword.
Welcomed kids to class as they came to my room.
- other students seeing me in this outfit inspired laughter and questions to my fellow teachers like "how come you never dress up"
Did some house keeping business and then got to reading.

They did really well stopping and asking for clarification with what was going on in the play.
We are listening to it on CD rather than read it. It helps to go faster and the different voices make it easier to understand than having students read the different parts. Also pronunciation is much easier once they have heard int played on the CD.

We got through the fist scene in the first act. and a bit into scene ii.

Overall i think it's a great start to a great unit!

and i only burnt myself once

who doesn't love a hot glue gun? - everyone loves a hot glue gun, but the hot sometimes is not so great.

You might be asking yourself - why is kelly talking about glue guns

Well it's because i am teaching Julius Caesar to my 10th graders. Again i can see the questions in your mind. Have no fear - No Fear of Shakespeare! - glue guns help put together a costume in order to get students geared up for what is sure to be a bit of a challenge. Shakespeare is not easy to read - even in college the reason i got through my Shakespeare class was due to some good study sessions and sparknotes. So i figured to get these kids interested i'd dress up.

but where would i get an amazing roman costume. Why Walmart of course. - And a little help from TJMax.

Sheet Set - 2.00
Glue sticks - 2.50
Christmas Wreath - 5.00
Headbands - 3.50
Foam sword - 2.00

15$ total - split between myself and my dear teacher friend Nicole - and we are set for an amazing adventure.

Here is what was created!































































Who wouldn't want to learn like this!

internal struggle

I'm bad at keeping track of what i teach and when i teach it.

obviously this is a strength that i would like to work on. and at the beginning of every semester i try my best to keep a little book of notes. what i liked about something - what to fix for next year. this is the thing - i never go back to them the next year. i always tell myself i will but i just don't. does this go against everything i was ever taught while i was getting my degree - YES.

I can't tell you how many times i was told that i would be writing formal lesson plans for the rest of my life. i would like to say that is true - it's not. there are really only two times that i write out a lesson plan and that is when i'm not going to be at school - and that's never (i only miss about 3 or 4 days a year - and if i could avoid it i would be at work every day). the other is when i'm going to be observed by one of my admin. I would like to say that i worry about being observed. but really - the idea no longer bothers me. i have to be honest and it is something i enjoy. i love what i do and based on the feedback i get from my students (and the state test scores i get back) i'm good at it. i like having people come in and see what i'm doing. it pushes me to be a better teacher.

so what do i do about keeping track of my lessons? i'll continue to keep pushing myself to write things down - and continue to push forward with my plan that i always start with. and maybe this time will be when it takes root and grows the way i hope it will.

Can I tend to the Rabbits George?

I am in love with this book. I love teaching it - I love reading it - I love just looking at it. It has been two years since I have been able to teach it because I haven't had sophomores. This year I'm on the 10th grade team again.

George looks after Lennie in a way that all of us can relate too. There is always someone who we feel close to but we don't know why. Someone to protect and shelter from the big bad world.

One of the many reasons why I love teaching it is because it gives my students the opportunity to show empathy. They are not sure why they love the characters at first. At first glance they don't have much in common with two grown men working on a ranch in the 1930's. But as the story unfolds they begin to see the friendship that Lennie and George have built - and they find themselves in the text.

Not to mention that Steinbeck is a beautiful writer! So much so that I read my students the first paragraph and then have them draw what they see. It's a great imagery project and what 15 year old doesn't love to draw. I break out the 'colors' and away we go.

I read with enthusiasm - I do the voices - I whisper when called for - and hoot and holler when the characters do too. This does two things - it keeps me entertained as I read something multiple times during the week (This year I only have two sections of English II) - it also keeps the kids listening to what I'm talking about. They have an easier time keeping the characters straight too.

We are only 30 pages in but I am loving every second that I get to read this amazing novel. It has been banned across the nation and still draws great criticism. It deals with Sexism, Racism, Disability, Profanity, and Murder. That list of topics alone would turn many stomachs - but our district has been brave enough to let us teach it - and I am thankful!