Subscribe with Email

Monday, November 21, 2016

Image Vocabulary

For as long as I have been in the classroom (and I'm proud to say that I still am - professional development and advice from those out of the classroom, even less than a year, often seems too idealistic and unrealistic), I have known English teachers who have lamented to me about the struggles their students have with vocabulary. In those same conversations, I'll even have a daring (perhaps honest) colleague who will question his/her own approach to vocabulary, wondering "should I teach vocabulary in the context of the texts we read?" or "should vocabulary be taught with random words that they might see on some future test?"

The context/no-context debate has raged between strong-minded ELA teachers for decades, likely even centuries. While both sides are well intentioned, it's hard to find any English teacher, and especially any experienced English instructor, who hasn't tried a variety of approaches during his/her time in the classroom. Having spent more than ten years teaching high school English (mostly 9th and 10th grade), I have been given articles photocopied from journals, books, and magazines, most claiming to have the found the "Holy Grail" of vocabulary approaches, only to find that such methods are impractical, far too expensive (did I mention I teach in a high-poverty district?), or simply ineffective. I have, from those many sources, been able to put together what works for me and my students in my own real (far from utopian ideal) high school classroom.


First, I made the decision to focus on vocabulary exposure and approach at the same time. This meant getting rid of my typical-ELA teacher bell ringers (journal writing) in favor of doing a vocabulary word of the day. By making vocabulary my starter, it was my hope that students would see vocabulary and the power of words as a priority in my classroom (and I believe it has been effective in doing so). The routine exposure of students seeing words that they might not know well, or at all, is beneficial. Equally important to me was that students were able to see the new/unfamiliar word used correctly in a sentence with context clues. To that end, in addressing process, each day students first write down the sentence displayed via projector on the whiteboard. The sentence has the focus word underlined, and students are required to do the same on their vocabulary sheet / on their vocabulary chart. Students then are required to write what they believe the daily word might mean, and we discuss those thoughts aloud before I project the correct definition or useable synonyms on the board as well.

A sample student weekly vocabulary chart is provided above

While the new word, context clue sentence, and  correct definition all make a difference for vocabulary retention, it is the addition of a priority on images - the visual meanings - that makes my approach as successful as it has been over the last 7 or 8 years. In addition to the sentence with context clues, students also see an image projected on the whiteboard that somehow communicates a meaning or synonym for that daily word. Sometimes this image is directly related to the sentence, sometimes it is marginally related, and sometimes it doesn't have anything at all to do with the sentence. No matter what, though, the image is meant to convey a meaning or idea related to the vocabulary word's definition.

A sample slide that would be projected for a daily vocabulary word
(the synonyms - in bold - are only provided after students first record their own guess)

The connection between images and meanings is nothing ground-breakingly new. For decades, big-wigs in ELA instruction, such as Marzano, have been touting the importance of student-generated images. Such curriculum innovators stress that students are required to generate self-meaning through such drawings. I agree with this premise (as a result, students have to draw an image of their own on their daily chart).  However, the idea of presenting students with an image, not merely requiring them to draw their own, helps students learn and retain vocabulary, too. After first using this image vocabulary appraoch in my classroom, I actually focused on it for the topic of my M.Ed. thesis, which required me to first do a great amount of background research. I found that there were two schools of thought regarding images and vocabulary: those encouraging providing images to students, and those requiring students to generate their own images. I was not able, however, to find any studies on the use of both elements simultaneously - a fact that only served to give my own research more merit. Long-story-short, my data-focused research found that the duel-image approach was an improvement over just using one or the other vocabulary image styles, and it was a significant improvement over vocabulary instruction absent of images.

In an effort to provide educators with resources relevant to this image vocabulary approach, I have made two 8-week image vocabulary sets (incuding multiple quizzes for each) available in my TpT store.  If interested, both sets are also available for purchase as a bundle for a $4 savings.  The sets are designed around words that would be appropriate for grades 7-10.  Use the links below to access those products.

If you end up trying this image vocabulary approach, whether with your own words (or personal approach), or with the ready-to-use sets linked above, let me know how it goes with your students. Perhaps you have a suggestion of how you did things to make the approach even more successful? Definitely share your experience with me (and your fellow colleagues reading this blog) via the commenting section. Your feedback, ideas, and suggestions - just knowing there is an audience for this blog, even - would be more helpful than I could ever express.

Until next time, keep teaching your students with all the passion that I know you bring to each and every day in the classroom!

-A Teacher's Teacher

Monday, October 24, 2016

Shakespeare Classroom Resources

Shakespeare. The single name, alone, elicits so many different reactions, ranging from disgust to love. Even today, I can trace my own passion for Shakespeare back to my senior year in high school with a teacher I'll just refer to as "Mr. T." While I had read Romeo and Juliet during my freshman year (and, for what I can remember, I didn't hate it), it was in my twelfth grade English class, during our class reading of Hamlet, that the spark of "the bard" was first ignited. I was, and still am, impressed by the complex characters, intertwined conflicts, and unexpected plot twists that come with reading Shakespeare's great tragedies. In college, my enjoyment spread to his comedies. I still (and I say this with disappointment and hesitation) have not fully embraced the histories, but am hoping that changes when I teach Richard III during a future semester of the high school Shakespeare elective I teach.


I find that many of the things that I use in my own teaching of Shakespeare are very similar or have been inspired by the before-mentioned Mr. T. when we studied Hamlet. One of my can't-do-without tools is the Hamlet Reading Log. The log assignment provides seven response options, ranging from summary to line analysis, and students are required to choose two of the seven options after each reading assignment (whether independent, done as a class, or a combination of both). I saved a copy of that handout from when I was in high school (I am sure you can think of something that you use that was saved from your own high school years). While I still use that original list of seven options for the regular curriculum plays I teach (most years that means Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade and Macbeth for my 10th grade classes), I knew I needed something fresh for me and for my students in the Shakespeare elective course I recently resurrected at the high school in which I teach. The result was this new Shakespeare Reading Log with seven new and differing options that encourage student readers to engage with any Shakespearean play, while allowing for student choice, which all teachers know is beneficial for a number of different reasons. As an additional positive aspect, student log responses often spur discussion and debate.

While the use of the reading log is certainly my favorite (and most versatile) tool, I also make use of quote quizzes during the reading of any Shakespearean play. I will be the first person to argue against traditional memorization of plot events in a work of literature, defending the use of open-text assessments, as I believe ELA teachers are given the task of teaching reading, writing, and higher-level thinking, rather than memorizing what has happened in a story or play. Despite that being the case, I make an exception for Shakespeare quote quizzes. The format I use involves providing students with 8-9 important sections of lines from the recent acts read/assigned (I call this the Quote Quiz Preparation Packet). When given these quotes (as well as the act, scene, and line numbers to locate them), students are required to record down who said the lines, to whom the lines were spoken, to provide a modern-language "translation" of the lines, and an explanation of the significance of those lines. After students do so, we review things as a class and come to agreement regarding some of the "debatable" explanations of significance which they sometimes suggest. In approaching things this way, students basically have an answer key provided to them off of which to study. Then, on the day of the quiz, students are provided with five randomly-selected quotes, from the original nine for which they prepared. These quotes look identical to the preparation packet, including the act/scene/line numbers, but not in sequential/plot order. In addition, I have adapted quizzes for modification, including a version that is partially filled-out (one item provided for each of the five quotes), and a version that has all nine quotes, in random order, which allows the student to choose the five quotes with which they are most comfortable and supply the necessary information. In grading the quizzes, I use the same slideshow that we created/modified as a class in our discussion after the preparation packet. In doing so, there are no "secrets" or surprises regarding acceptable answers.

I have quote quiz packs that include the following plays available, if you are, or will be, reading any of the following plays with your students:
-Hamlet (Acts 1&2)
-Julius Caesar (2 Quizzes - Acts 1-3 and Acts 4&5)
-Macbeth (Acts 1&2)
-Romeo and Juliet (Acts 1&2)



I there is also a Quote Quiz Bundle which includes all of the quizzes for each of the five plays listed above, and I will be adding a quote quiz pack with two different quizzes for Much Ado About Nothing within the next couple of weeks.

While the reading log and quote quizzes are the two mainstays of my Shakespeare instruction, I have also had success with other play-specific items. For example, I would feel a classroom reading of Hamlet to be incomplete without doing the Hamlet Discussion Quiz. Likewise, teaching The Taming of the Shrew without giving students the multiple project options available HERE would be missing something, as well. 

I hope that you find some of these ideas and pre-made products helpful as you work with your students on whichever Shakespearean masterpiece you are or will be experiencing. Please share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions with me, as I'm always looking for feedback and new insights.

Until next time, keep teaching your students with all the passion that I know you bring to each and every day in the classroom! 

-A Teacher's Teacher

Friday, September 23, 2016

Sharing Text Sets and Prompts

As a high school English teacher, it can be hard to build a network of resources. While most secondary school teachers work within a department with at least two or three other teachers of the same discipline, that doesn't always guarantee those colleagues have the same classes or ability levels. It can be a bit like being on an island, but one that is part of a very close archipelago; almost close enough that you can shout to the neighboring islands, and hear faint shouts back in reply.

In past decades or eras, there wasn't much that could be done to rectify this "island isolation." One could participate in local or county professional development, or be active in various national associations, but those opportunities rarely resulted in resources that could be directly taken from such those sessions, photo copied, and passed out the very next day. Everyone was working on different standards, different texts, and the rigor of any type of standardized testing wasn't a major concern for which to prepare students.

All of that, of course, has changed, due to the implementation of Common Core standards, to some degree, in over 35 states. Now, more teachers than ever before are expected to prepare their students to hit the same benchmarks and standards of ability as their peers in neighboring states, within the same geographical region, and even on the other side of the United States. While there was, and still is, debate about the true benefit of such multi-state standards adoption, I'll leave that take to other teachers and interested politicians.

In addition to share standards, the increased use of similar standardized testing companies and consortiums (e.g. AIR, PARCC, Smarter Balanced) has prompted English Language Arts teachers across the country to think about preparing students for high-stakes testing in a different way. High school teachers, especially, are feeling the pressure of having students achieve cut scores that are being used for graduation requirements in many states, and while many instructors have been sent to workshops and meetings to discuss testing format and to grasp some understanding of raw scores, scaled scores, and growth scores, little has been done to put actual test-prep materials into he hands of teachers for classroom use.

As you read this, I'm sure many of you have had the same thoughts and concerns. Everything culminated for me one day when I was actually working in a flower bed around my house. In a student-like "a-ha" moment I came up with a realistic idea that could help bridge the gap between teachers who want to help better prepare their students and the resources needed to do so. The idea, now known as the Text Set and Prompt Swap (TSPS), is fairly simple: teachers within a common grade band (6-8, 9-10), individually thing of a topic, compile sources, and write a prompt that goes with those sources. As many states require argumentative and informational writing, prompts are often encouraged to fall into one of those two categories. Once ready to share, the text sets and prompts are share with a compiler (via email, Google Drive, etc.). The compiler then formats all the text sets and prompts to look identical, before sharing all the sets back out to each individual who submitted and seems and prompt.

By approaching things through this cooperative approach, individual teachers (or multiple members of a department, as such encourages department unity and it builds a greater amount of text sets to use with all students in the grade band / building) gain a multitude of different sets and prompts to use throughout the year, and years to come. While it is a terrible cliche, this is truly a way to work smarter, not harder (finally!).

As the compiler for my own local TSPS, which currently includes teachers from 3 nearby school districts, I am proud to share that since the idea was shared in March of this year, we already have 9 argumentative text sets and prompts as well as 5 informational sets with corresponding prompts. Going into the school year with such a compilation of resources, each school is allowed to choose its own method of dividing the prompts between ninth and tenth grade classes.

In addition to the identically-formatted prompts and text sets, I also sought out and utilized an online platform that was nearly identical to the standardized testing format for the state in which I teach (we use AIR testing). Using the hosting platform EdCite, I posted the prompts and sets onto that site, allowing for students to practice reading, annotating, and responding to the prompts in a manner nearly identical to what they will see when high-stakes testing comes around in April. This, while not a necessity, takes the value of a Text Set and Prompt Swap to the next level which can only serve to benefit students in their preparation.




If you are interested in what a final product of a text set and prompt from my own local TSPS looks like, I have posted two text sets and prompts (both my own contributions to my TSPS), in my TeachersPayTeachers store. One is an argumentative piece regarding the use of Romeo and Juliet in the curriculum, and the other is an informational set and prompt on the topic of skydiving.  Both items are reasonably priced, and there is even a bundle that has both for a discounted price. I also encourage you, if you're a 9th or 10th grade teacher, to think about joining my Text Set and Prompt Swap. While it is local now, technology and file sharing means there aren't the geographical limits of collaboration that there were in the past. If you'd like to submit an informational or argumentative prompt and text set, you will receive three sets and prompts in return. Even better, if you and two other colleagues each decide to compile sets and prompts (which must be original - without using any websites that have put together sets and prompts already), I will share with you all 14 current sets and prompts that are part of my TSPS.
Click here to download this text set and prompt for free (for a limited time only)

Be sure to share with me your thoughts, successes, questions, even any struggles you might encounter along the way with the idea of Text Set and Prompt Swaps. I look forward to hearing from you and helping in any way I can.

Until next time, keep teaching your students with all the passion that I know you bring to each and every day in the classroom!

-A Teacher's Teacher