The More Lived-In Classroom

When I was first becoming a teacher - that short summer of education classes before I entered my baptismal flames - and we were reading Janet Allen's Words, Words, Words, I couldn't fathom what a "Word Wall" was actually good for. Since then, my uses and adaptations of the instructional strategy have changed many times. Some uses are documented on this blog, but each year I make new decisions and innovations. Here are the ways I'm using my Word Wall this year to help my students improve their vocabulary.



The so-called "Highfallutin Words" are words that are not in my students normal vernacular, but they are the words found in the new common core state standards, as well as what will no doubt appear on the standardized tests policy makers are busily hammering out. One of our first learning targets was "I can distinguish between connotation and denotation." Here you can see the words and definitions two students wrote and hung on the word wall.

Next to the Highfallutin words, are the "Spicy Words." These are possible replacement synonyms for dull and boring words my students may commonly use in their writing. These words came from a word sort activity on tone (related to connotation and denotation.) We'll use this section of the word wall to a greater extent when we write our first piece on heroism.



Finally, we have the "Bad Words." Because of our code-switching lessons, my students know that these aren't really "bad" words; just words that aren't appropriate for the language arts classroom. They're informal words better suited for texting or casual speech with friends and family.



In addition to the word wall, evidence of my students' presence can be seen on the chalk board I'd once envisioned to be my timer wall. Now, it's a place for students to claim the lost articles middle schoolers are so apt to forget: books, nameless papers, agenda planners, notebooks and the like. You can also see evidence of our classroom structure: we had to revisit expectations last week and it had a positive affect on the classroom climate. When the kids know exactly what's expected of them, it's much easier to maintain a calm and safe environment, even when hormones are raging.

Social Networking with Students

A few years ago I used GoodReads.com as an enrichment with my students. Back then I had computers in my classroom, and I allowed the kids to get online when they finished their work. Now, sans computers, I'm using GoodReads again - this time in place of those old, raggedy paper reading logs. No more strangely coincidental documentation! ("Danny, I see you read ten pages every night from 9:00 to 9:30...again.") No more forged signatures! No more "lost papers" turned in on the last day of the grading period filled out the night before!* (*For students who don't have computer or Internet access, or whose parents don't want them online, of whom there are only a few, the raggedy paper logs remain...)

GoodReads allows for an authentic discussion about books. Students are familiar with social networking due to the countless hours they spend each night on FaceBook. Now, their homework is more fun and engaging because it's conversational, interactive and technological.



Students add books to shelves that I and their friends can see: "currently reading," "read" and "to read." The books appear with their covers, and students can rate the books with one to five stars. They can also write reviews and read each others, which gives them a good idea of what books are out there, and what might interest them. It also gets them excited about reading and makes it a bit more "cool," since it gives reading a social element, rather than remaining a solitary activity.

At the beginning of the year I created class groups for each of my class periods. The students first assignment was to create an account and join their respective group.



Their second assignment - and all subsequent weekly homework - is to respond to a discussion prompt on their group's wall. Each Wednesday I post a discussion topic, and they have to reply by Friday at midnight for full credit.



The discussion so far has been pretty simple: what book are you reading, if you abandoned a book tell us why, how much have you read this week, make a text-to-text, -self, or -world connection to your book, summarize what has happened, etc. After my students are more in the habit of using GoodReads and posting on time, I plan to take the questions a bit deeper. For now, it seems to be accomplishing its goal of getting them READING - and that's what's most important.