SAT and ACT prep.  My 10th and 11th grade students have been concentrating on preparation for these two tests over the last year.  Some were a little more diligent than others, but everyone has been making efforts to familiarize themselves with the content of the test.  

Since the vast majority of colleges are requesting the score for one or the other of these tests, I have been working to find ways that will help these scholars succeed.  And I think I might have found a gem!

There is an application for iPhone/Android users that is called "ready4SAT".  I looked into it as research for my grad class, and I was pleasantly surprised.  

First of all, the app is free.  There are a few features (tracking progress being the most impressive one) that are only features in the paid version.  However, the creators of this app have priced it at a one-time fee $4.99.  If that is a little too steep for your pockets, you will get pretty far on the free version. 

The app has a student log on and create an account.  Then it asks a few questions: "What is your desired score on the test?"  "Do you have any colleges that you are interested in?". Easy questions that do not necessarily need an accurate answer.  

The next step is to take a diagnostic test.  It is a short, concise test that tries to sample your math, grammar, and reading skills in about 20 questions.  It was a relatively easy test, although my math skills have greatly diminished over 20 years of not using them.  

After the diagnostic test, it tells you what your projected score would be; I wouldn't hang too many dreams or decide college isn't for you based on this score.  Remember, they are getting this guess from those 20 questions that you just answered.  

However, in spite of a slightly-inaccurate test projection, the App sets up a series of study questions and lessons for each section of the SAT.  Every few lessons, there is a quiz that correlates with the information just studied.  When you are satisfied with your results, you move to the next checkpoint.  If you need to study a section a little bit better, the student can generate another test with a different set of questions.  Each time, the test will be scored, correct answer given and explained, and a a new lesson will be generated.  

It really is quite interesting, and I think students will benefit from checking it out.   

             https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sat-prep-by-ready4/id991750634?mt=8

Just be honest. 

That is a phrase that is repeated often in my classroom.  Not because I have a room fool of truth-twisting students, but because the truth is something that I highly value. After several years of teaching, I have finally found my rhythm in the classroom.  My students walk in and know that we are going to do hard work, but they also know that there will be times of unpredictability that make my classroom an environment that is entertaining, to say the least.
My students will also tell you that the one thing Mrs. Hoffman dislikes the most is dishonesty.  I can handle most any situation in my classroom with grace and calmness.  But when I feel that I have been lied to, I really have to stop, count, and breath before the spirit that comes out of me says things that I will forever regret.

Just be honest. 

How easily that phrase rolls off my tongue, and yet I have realized these past few weeks that I may have been telling the biggest lie of all.
It is really easy to settle in to a routine that is easy.  To teach the same materials because they are already prepared, stapled, and ready to be used.  And how easy it is to tell yourself that that is ok.  That at one time, you put really hard work into all of the curriculum planning, and it is time you get to breath.  Over the past few weeks I have realized that I have done just that: I fell into a routine and told myself that I am doing the best I can, and that I can relax.
Oh, how far from the truth that is.  As I have taken this course, I have realized that there is just so much that needs to be learned.  Every new chapter I read, I come up with fifteen more ways I could re-invent ideas in my classroom.  For ME, the same routine is far from the best that I could offer.  So I have vowed to just be honest.  To take a look at myself and my practices and truly evaluate my objectives and goals for my students, for me and even for my school.
So the next time I say, "just be honest", it will not only be a reminder for my students, it will also be a reminder for myself.

Over the past 4 years, I have taught a few middle school English classes.  Middle school can be tough; what was cool yesterday is out tomorrow.  And what you try tomorrow was so, "yesterday".  It seems to take extra bells and whistles to gain the attention of students.  I recall one time resorting to a brain break that consisted of licked edible hand scrubs, in return for a promise of undivided attention while we talked about nouns and verbs.  There is one activity that I can say without hesitation that everyone loved: The Online Scholastic Reading Magazine.  

http://scope.scholastic.com/ 

       

There are several things that I love about this magazine: 

1. There is always a good selection of non-fiction articles about current issues that are written at a 6-8th  grade level. Usually they were high-interest stories that kept the attention of everyone in the classroom. 

2.  I felt that the activities for analytical skills are highly effective and easy to understand.  This can be a difficult thing to find when searching for middle school literature.  

3. The magazine uses current technology activities that make me appear "cool"...in other words, all the work was done for me, and the students just needed to log in and follow directions.  Computer time and win for them, and a win for this non-techy English lady. 

4.  For the large majority of the magazines, the topics are non-controversial.  Only twice out of the thirty-two issues that I used did I have to address a value that our institution did not agree with.  However,  it opened up an excellent conversation about our Biblical worldview and what it should look like. I believe in teaching through a lesson and not just avoiding it altogether. 

There is a small fee ($6.99 per student), but that grants access to all volumes of the magazine online for the past 5 years, and gives each student their own hard copy once a month.  I presented the idea at a parent meeting at the beginning of the school year, and each parent saw the value in a new learning activity and eagerly offered to pay the fee.  

There are many branches in the Scholastic family, so it would be easy to find the perfect fit for your classroom.  These options include, "Scholastic Action", which includes real-life danger stories, "Scholastic New York Times" for an investigative reporting magazine,  and even a "Scholastic Science World" to dive into the difficult topics of biology, conservation, and chemicals.  

It is a classroom investment that you will not regret! 

Calling all GAMERS!

This week in our studies we have been talking about multiple intelligence and ways that education can be innovated.  I was searching unique learning styles for different personality types, and came across an interesting article.  

http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/3061916-skinpack_birthday4_titledheroart_1920x1080-1.png

Minecraft was a big hit in our house about 3 years ago.  For those not familiar with it, it is an imaginary world where a child can use different resources to build different items, houses, worlds...you name it! I even heard of a boy that built an entire Titanic replica. 

 

Well Minecraft has done it again. In January, 2017 Minecraft launched "Minecraft for Education". 

Minecraft for education is a new Application that added several features for teachers.  Teachers can now distribute an account to all students for a specific class, see where all of the students are on the map, and even give specific resources to be used in construction. 

These education features have been added in the hopes that teachers will get students involved in the studies of different subjects.  Right now the biggest obstacle being faced is that someone has to create all of the worlds for students to visit.  Either a teacher or a student will need to set up the original world for others to join.  

I am not a "gamer" and I never really understood the world of Minecraft.  But if my 7th grader's reaction when I told him about this is indicative of other middle school students,  Minecraft for Education is going to be quite successful! 

Resources: 

Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2017, from https://education.minecraft.net/

As an English teacher, I work hard to make sure that all of the curriculum that I integrate serves a long-term purpose.  Vocabulary is one of those areas that I feel is vital for the future of the students. In fact, I just watched a webcast that stated the extreme importance of vocabulary across every academic subject in order for there to be student success.
you can watch that webinart here:
Webinar link: “Making Academic Vocabulary Stick” with Marilee Sprenger http://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/console/EventConsoleApollo.jsp?&eventid=1355689&sessionid=1&username=&partnerref=ASCDweb&format=fhaudio&mobile=false&flashsupportedmobiledevice=false&helpcenter=false&key=2D442B642C51FDDD75CB66B37A89487F&text_language_id=en&playerwidth=1000&playerheight=650&overwritelobby=y&eventuserid=166678294&contenttype=A&mediametricsessionid=133215590&mediametricid=1955122&usercd=166678294&mode=launch

I also want to provide my students with study aids, and I really lucked out when I came across Quizlet.

Quizlet is a free, online source that helps students create study lists and then provides them with ways to study those lists.  So at the beginning of the year, I go onto quilt and add 14 lists with approximately 20 words per list.  The student creates a free account using their school-issued email address.  The student then requests to join a specific class, that I moderate and control.  In other words, no one is allowed into the class that isn't supposed to be there.  After the student is a member of the class, she can begin looking for her specific "sets".

When the student clicks on the correct list, she is then given a list of options.  A student can choose from basic flashcards, a few games, and even an option to take a practice test.  Many of my students will take 3 and 4 practice tests in preparation for their quiz at school. 

                            

When the student is finished taking the practice test, there is actually an option to have the quiz graded for her.  Quizlet then proceeds to correct the test and show the right answers.  

Quizlet is used by millions of people around the world.  If someone has made her set "public" anyone can seek and find it.  My own children have found lists of terms for their Geometry, history, Spanish and Biology courses.  

So go check it out! You may have just stumbled on something that you will soon wonder how you ever taught without it! 

References: 

Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/latest

In the world of education change is inevitable, and many times, necessary for the growth of an institution. Change cannot be forced by one person, but takes a team of people working together to initiate that desired change effectively and successfully. Several articles that I recently took the time to read talked at length about the need for teacher-leaders to rise up and help with that change. These articles were very clear in how one can identify in herself  if she is a teacher leader.  It talked of several qualities and traits that can be found in those equipped to lead. These "markers" were summarized in five easy-to-identify descriptions.  So as I read about them, I began going through the list and seeing which qualities were present in my own life.  

The first sign mentioned is that a teacher has a desire to have an impact outside of her classroom.  This would take the form of helping a colleague, blogging, submitting an article or leading a department workshop.  Maybe it involves mentoring or discipling students. I know that at the school I presently teach in, there is a community of teachers that look to each other to see how we can develop and nurture the child in all classes, not just our own. I definitely feel as though I could identify the first sign in my own life. 

The next two signs of a teacher-leader are that (1) colleagues often ask for her advice, as well as (2) she has a desire to take the new teachers under her wing and help them out. This starts with empathy.  All teachers have been in the new teacher position at one point and know the struggles that encompass that daunting position.  The experienced teacher can offer help for the new teachers.  If colleagues are coming to a teacher for help with difficult situations, then that teacher probably has what it takes to lead. Now, I am not sure if it is due to the fact that I fall on the older side of our faculty, but I have found that the younger teachers do come and bounce ideas off of me at different times. The beauty of this is that on more than one occasion, I have been more blessed and encouraged by the young teachers than I think they have been by me. Looking to others is a strong and necessary trait for true success.  

A fourth sign mentioned was that a teacher-leader thinks big about problems. The key here is that the teacher doesn’t complain about problems, but looks for solutions.  The teacher “puts feet” to a solution - talks to the principal, joins a committee, or acts as a spokesperson. I hope that I can be identified as one who looks for solutions and works to innovate the students that walk through my doors.

  The last sign of a teacher-leader actually brings me to where I am today. A teacher-leader will find herself learning about the current methods and strategies for her specific subject.  That teacher will join teaching networks to share ideas with others in her field.  This could mean additional certifications or even graduate courses.  So while this course has come at a difficult time in our lives, I am taking it to become a better teacher. I want to rise up and try to lead those around me. I can easily become uncomfortable with that thought. To label myself as a "leader" sometimes makes me feel arrogant, or almost obnoxious. But I am learning that to identify qualities in myself and be brave enough to embrace the characteristic that I have been given, actually brings the glory back to my God who has given me the abilities that I am working to nurture. If I am willing to do that, I will learn so much.

References

Holecek, C., Beckham, K., & McKethan, D. (2016). Developing teacher leaders in CTE. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 91(6), 35-38. Retrieved March 6, 2017.

Melville, K. (2016). Finding my way to teacher leadership. Schools, 13(1), 46-56. doi:10.1086/685802

Ratzel, M. (2014). 5 Telltale signs you're becoming a teacher leader. In Curriculum leadership readings for developing quality educational programs (10th ed., pp. 38-41). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson education.

Warren, L. L. (2016). Viewing teachers as leaders without being administrators [Abstract]. Education, 136(4), 508-515.

As educational innovations sweep the nation, there is one new educational assistant that is topping all of the charts: Khan Academy.  
Sal Khan, the "Brains" behind Khan Academy, started his website in a very organic way.  Khan had a relative that was struggling in math and needed a tutor.  Khan began tutoring his niece online, and news of the success quickly spread throughout the family.  Before too long, Khan had requests to tutor so many people, that it was impossible to say yes to all.  A friend suggested that Khan post his videos on YouTube in order to share them with a larger audience.  And that was the beginning of 2400 videos covering a myriad of topics in mathematics and science.  

The reviews of Khan Academy have been high.  Several teachers have actually begun using the academy as a supplement to their curriculum.  In fact one teacher, Kami Thordarson of Los Altos, California, has used it to begin "flipping" her classroom.  The beauty of this is that students can watch the short 7-14 minute videos at home and then work on their math problems in class.  This has freed up Thordarson to answer questions and circulate throughout the room with great success.  If anyone doubts the quality of the instruction found on Khan Academy, here is the proof.  Thordarson has actually seen the fail rate in her class drop from 13% to 3% over the last year.  

There's an easy way to see what the fuss is about: the website allows anyone to sign up and start viewing tutorials and taking the interactive tests that are at the heart of the Academy's method.  The concepts is simple: watch a video in which Khan explains the subject being learned and then take the online test that follows.  Then, when satisfied that you have mastered the topic, it invites you to move on to a related topic. 

There are many commentaries that discuss the success of Khan Academy.  The Khan critics are mostly "Constructionists" who believe that it is better to let a student figure out the math on his own by trial and error in the subject.  These critics believe that the system for learning math is too structured, which Khan vehemently denies.  
Whether you are a supporter or not of the Khan Academy, there is not arguing the fact that students have answered more than 50 million questions on the site, which means there is an amazing amount of data that shows where students get stuck and need help when conquering math.  
It is worth looking into; its self-driven learning could be very beneficial to those students who are forever on the quest to learn more.  


References: 

Adams, Richard. "Sal Khan: The Man Who Tutored His Cousin – and Started a Revolution."The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.

Thompson, Clive. "How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education." Wired. Conde Nast, 15 July 2011. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.