AN AWESOME INTRODUCTION TO PARODY

Today we stumbled into an awesome lesson about parody. We started asking our students what they'd like to read about next year. This led to a discussion on how hard it is to a find text that's funny, a search through Newsela, and the emergence of the flying spaghetti monster. Over the course of three periods we evolved this lesson:

1. Display this image on the screen at the front of the room. (click for larger image)
Trust me, this will grab your students' attention and get them right into the lesson.

Have students analyze the image. Have them identify what they can see. Ask them if it looks familiar at all (leading them to the next picture).

2. Display this image.

Explain that this is a famous painting by Michelangelo called the Creation of Adam, and that it is found on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Discuss to identify that the painting shows Adam and God reaching to touch each other.

Feel free to work in further image analyzing, identifying the cherubs, discussing the religious relevance, symbolism, etc. You can even show them pictures of the Sistine Chapel, discuss the history of the paintings. Really add anything relevant to your curriculum or student interest.


Some of your students may have heard the theory that the shape behind God is meant to be a brain to suggest that man invented God in his mind and isn't real. Depending on the level of your students you can discuss this theory. I would explain that this is a theory, and we can't prove it because there's no way to truly know Michelangelo's intent. An alternative theory is that it is the shape of a uterus to suggest Adam was born from God. Some of our students felt it looked more like an anatomical heart, suggesting God's love.





3. Switch back to the original image. Explain this this image is a parody. It imitates and changes the original in order to entertain or to make a point.

Work with students, guiding them to the idea that in this painting, the spaghetti monster represents God.



4. Distribute the Newsela article "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster wins one for the First Amendment." We used the 930 Lexile version of the article.

Read through the article together as you normally would in a group reading. Apply your strategies, discussions, etc. Use whatever works in your class.

We found that most of our students didn't know the word colander, so it was a good context clues moment.


Again, take your discussion as far as you deem fit. Some of our classes got into deep discussion about the nature of religion, freedom of speech, use of parody, people's intentions etc. Other classes struggled to go beyond the surface of the text. So do whatever works for your kids. You do you.



5. After the article (or if you wish, pause during the article when parody is defined), discuss with students what parody is. Ask if they can think of any examples. Some of our students knew The Daily Show, Saturday Night Life, and some You Tube videos. Sadly most of them had never heard of Weird Al Yankovic. I feel old.

Make sure you explain that parody is typically designed to be amusing and humorous, but it often also has a message behind it.




6. Show students examples of parody. We used several examples. These videos seemed to go over best with the kids:

HALO 4 - Glad You Came (The Wanted Parody)

A Thanksgiving Miracle - SNL
(You may want to show a few pieces from the original Adele video for context)

Rebecca Black - Friday (Music Video Parody) - Monday

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes


You can find plenty of other videos online. Just make sure you use ones that are relevant to your students, not you. You may find that Breakfast Club parody scene hilarious, but if your students aren't familiar with the original movie, it will be lost on them.




Alternatively, here are some images you can use to demonstrate parody:

Sorry I don't have any fancy printables or worksheets to go with this, but I hope this serves as a good introductory lesson to parody, and that you and your students have fun as you go : )

If you find any really good parody videos, please comment below and I'll add them to this post!

TEACHING THE VOCABULARY OF THE COMMON CORE

As the school year winds to a close, I've been reflecting on the past school year, thinking about what worked and what didn't work.

One area we struggled with this year was definitely vocabulary. We did our best to teach vocabulary in context, as students learn best this way, but it led to brief introductions to words which we didn't encounter again until Doc and I made a point to throw it in some where.

That's why, when I came across Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core at my university library, I grabbed it and started poring through it. I found the book to be very interesting, and it provides some great material for teachers to use. In it the author provides 55 key words that students need to be able to understand in order to meet the Common Core requirements, and to answer questions on Language Arts assessments.

After finishing the book, we've decided that this will be the backbone of our vocabulary instruction next year.



According to the author, Marilee Sprenger, "85 percent of test scores are based on how well the students know the vocabulary of the standards."

If this is true, it makes a very strong case for deep, thorough vocabulary instruction. Of course the vast majority of us would say that we do teach vocabulary. I mean we've got words walls, point out prefixes, do vocabulary quizzes, etc. But I do believe that many of us teach vocabulary and then move on.

Sprenger gives one example that stood out to me: when teaching students to compare and contrast she noticed some of them having trouble, so she explained that they just have the list the similarities and differences. She gave them the information they needed to complete the task, but abandoned the academic terms 'compare' and 'contrast.' I'm sure we do that all the time.

Chapter One

One thing I really like about this book is that it doesn't just jump into a list of words and worksheets. It starts with the research. The first chapter is all about the research on vocabulary, which would be an obvious choice. The author provides research evidence for the understanding that economic status is one of the greatest predictors of student vocabulary and school success. Unfortunately there's not much we can do about our students' histories, but we can recognize that many of them come from a life of "word deprivation" and do what we can to help them.

Sprenger also reviews Maran and Pickering's six steps for teaching vocabulary:

1. Start with a story or explanation of the word.
2. Have student put it in their own words.
3. Student draw a representation
4. Provide several engagements with the word
5. Use informal rehearsals
6. Play games with the words.

Chapter Two

She takes the research further by following this with a chapter on how memory works. I find our brains and their functions fascinating so I love that this was included. I believe having an understanding of how we learn neurologically is key, especially when teaching students with disabilities.

This chapter explains different types of memory, and the fact that when students taking reading assessments, their entire working memory is holding information used to comprehend the text. It's important that students be able to understand the questions being asked automatically so that their working memory isn't needed.

Chapter 2 also contains the crucial adage "if they process it, it will be stored." When we first take in information through our senses, it sits in our conscious memory for up to 30 seconds. If we don't do anything with that information in that time, it's gone. However if we act on the information, it moves into working memory (which cam hold it for a few hours), and with enough processing, it heads to long term memory where it resides for years.

In order to help facilitate moving understanding of vocabulary to long term memory, Sprenger suggests students need to "process the critical words in enough different ways to get them stored in the brain in multiple places."

Chapters Three to Five

The next three chapters get into the vocabulary, with words divided into verbs, nouns, and other. The 55 words in the book were chosen based on their frequency of use in the Common Core State Standards, Bloom's taxonomy, and Webb's Depth of Knowledge.

Each word is presented with a definition, synonyms, and a jingle, as well as how the word relates to the common core. There are also multiple activities suggested for teaching each word, with specific examples.

Some of the activities and suggestions are better than others. For example I like using this play on words for analyze: "because Anna lies, we have to analyze what she is saying to find out what is true." Anna lies and analyze are true homonyms, and pairing analyzing with someone who lies adds to understanding of the word.

In contrast, I'm not wild about pairing anticipate with articulate. The two sound similar but aren't homonyms so I think this would be more likely to confuse students, especially those with learning disabilities or language impairments. Also anticipate and articulate have nothing to do with each other. "Anticipate that you'll articulate" does not aid in understanding the meaning of the word.

On thing to note is that the words are presented alphabetically, but that may not be the best way to teach them. On page 31, Sprenger lists the words by the grade levels in which they are introduced, so moving in that order may be more logical.

Since I teach high school, my students are expected to know ALL of these words, so I'm debating which order to teach them in. Once I work on my unit plans for the year I'll likely see which words work best with which skills and strategies and go from there.

Chapters Six to Seven

The final two chapters briefly discuss how to choose words for explicit instruction, and how to help students retain what they learn.



All in all I like this book and will be using it as a reference next year. I always struggle with choosing what words to target and Sprenger makes a good case for focusing on the terms students need to know in order to be successful on assessments. I refuse to "teach to the test" but that doesn't mean I shouldn't help prepare my students for it.

THE POWER OF PAINT: CHOOSING A COLOR

One of the first things I did when I got my new classroom was paint it. This was something I has planned for since I first decided to pursue teaching as a career, and I'm so glad I went through with it. I had to go in to work several days early, and my back was killing me by the end, but it just made the classroom feel so much more homey and inviting, and it showed the kids that I'm willing to make an extra effort to improve their experience in school. (It also covered all of the grungy and marked up spots on the walls from years of neglect!)

You can see the difference it made here:

(click to enlarge)

In a future post I'll have a nice pic spam of before and after shots for multiple classrooms, but first I wanted to share the research behind the colors I chose. I knew there was a lot of theory out there about color design and choice, but I wanted to know what actual research had to say. Below are some of the notes and excerpts I pulled from research, as well as the sources for this information:



According to Barrett, et al.

Color has a more significant impact on student performance in Reading and Writing, versus other subjects like Math.

The color elements were initially rated with pale and white colors rated low and vivid (saturated) colors rated high. However, as already mentioned, wall and display colors were subsequently found to be curvilinear meaning that the optimum level for learning was in the middle of the ranges.

Color, white- or pale-colored walls with a colored accent wall or panel and brightly colored furniture were found to be optimum for learning.



According to Grangaard:

Students in classrooms with light blue and green painted walls had lower blood pressure and pulse, and better behavior than when they were in a room with brown and off-white walls.



According to Mahnke:

The fourth wall, the front of the room that faces the students, should be a different complementary or at least a darker hue than the other walls. […] The different hue and color at the front of the room helps to reduce students' eyestrain as they look up and down to write notes, etc. A deep tone on any one wall can reduce glare.



According to Nuhfer:

Colors best suited for classrooms reduce agitation, apprehension and promote a sense of well-being. In brief, colors that reduce tension and anxiety produce a home-like atmosphere, in contrast to an "institutional" one.

Studies show that monotone environments may induce anxiety and lead to irritability and an inability to concentrate.


Pastel oranges promote cheerful, lively and sociable moods that are desirable in a college classroom.

Pastel yellow has a similar cheerful effect.

Greens and blue greens in pastels are calming and provide a good background color suited to relaxation into tasks that require concentration.


Brightly coloured walls (as well as high light levels) may increase glare. Therefore, the wall colour in a classroom should not be too bright.

According to Yildirim et al.

Cream, the existing colour of the research environment, was the neutral colour; pink was the warm colour and blue was the cool colour. The results of the study clearly indicate that the use of different colours in the interior environment of a classroom has a statistically significant effect on the perceptual performance of male students.

Blue-coloured space was perceived more positively – described as happy, roomy, peaceful, pleasant, calm and comfortable – compared to the cream and pink-coloured spaces. On the other hand, blue coloured classrooms were considered less attractive, exciting and dynamic than the others.

In common with other studies, this study has found that the use of cool colour, blue for interior surfaces would engender pleasant, peaceful, calm and comfortable perception of occupants; whereas warm colours such as pink, would make space seems more stimulating but smaller.

Sources

Peter Barrett, Fay Davies, Yufan Zhang, Lucinda Barrett. The Holistic Impact of Classroom Spaces on Learning in Specific Subjects. 2016


Grangaard, E. M. Effects of color and light on selected elementary students. 1993. (Doctoral dissertation).

Mahnke, F. H. Color, Environment and Human Response. 1996


Nuhfer, Edward B. Some Aspects of an Ideal Classroom: Color, Carpet, Light and Furniture." California State University. 2004.


Kemal Yildirim, Kubulay Cagatay, Nur Ayalp. Effect of wall colour on the perception of classrooms. Indoor and Built Environment. 2014

10 THINGS I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SAY AS A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER...BUT HAVE

1. No, I will not have a staring contest with you.

2. Let go of his nipple!

3. You don't have to tell me that you have to poop.

4. Martin Luther King was not the president, and no he's not still alive.

5. Get out of that cabinet.

6. I don't know if milk will make your boobs grow. Look it up at home.

7. Put your pants back on.

8. No, we cannot watch 50 Shades of Gray.

9. Get that thumbtack out of your shoe.

10. Give me back those paperclips.... All of them... .... .... Aaaaaalllll of them.

ASPERGER'S AND MANIC EPISODES

I'm really curious to know if people with Asperger's get manic episodes, or if it might be tied to ADD? Either way I'm in one right now.

When most people hear the word manic, they think manic-depressive or bipolar. Thankfully that is not me, but I do still occasionally (read: every few months) will have a manic day. That usually means I'm hyper, super gung-ho about getting things done, and can't focus on one task at a time.

Today I woke up to check some of Amazon's black friday deals and ended up just staying awake. A coupon for $10 off a book purchase (good through November 28, 2016 at 02:59am EST) led me to hours looking through reviews and excerpts of a number of books in my wishlist about Autism in Women, and neurodiverse relationships (and going into archives of numerous blogs). At the same time I was trying to clear shows from our DVR, do laundry, clear through my desks, find receipts for Kellogg's rewards before they're too old, working on a T-Shirt design for our Autism Speaks Walk, clearing stuff off the stairs, and considering making new dog beds. Somewhere in there I ended up reading an article about artificial sweeteners, taking an OCD quiz, looking into a new planner, and depositing a check. Also on the agenda for later in the day was hanging shelves, putting up our new microwave, setting up my dogs training collar, setting up the new Keurig, and cleaning the bedroom. Plus, you know, maybe eating and such.

It was way too much. I could feel myself trembling with anxiety and also eagerness. I was an accomplishment machine! Except I was bouncing between stuff like a mad woman. When Ki woke up I just started babbling at him about random things, while he noticed the after effects of those things, like the half folded laundry, the dog bed covers sitting in a heap on a pile of boxes, and the disaster of receipts on my desk. Finally a cognizant moment struck and I started to apologize. He immediately acknowledged that I was having a manic day and gave me a good strong squeeze to help me settle.

Then I realized I had a major assignment due today and I had nearly forgotten it.

So Ki took over handing the microwave with Momo, and even did the collar, so I could focus on my stupid, stupid assignment that took hours to do. But it's okay. It's done now.

I'm still feeling hyper but have gotten a bit more focused (although Ki and Momo having "inspriational" music playing while they work on the microwave and it is amping up my anxiety for some reason. Grr). I'm trying to just brain dump a list of everything on my mind and settle in to focus on just a few key tasks and maybe later I'll research Asperger's and manic episodes.


Update: Between writing this and looking for GIFs to add, I got over exuberant about going to measure something, tripped, and almost face planted.

Update 2: The music has gotten louder.

Update 3: I made them turn the music down. Now I feel guilty, even if they understand. Sigh.

A THANKFUL TEACHER

I think as teachers it's very easy for us to focus on everything that weighs us down and overwhelms us, so today I want to focus on the good things in my teaching life.

I Am Thankful For:

• A co-teacher whom I adore
• The opportunity to work in the same school as my sister
• A principal that supports me
• Students who are sweet more often than they are salty
• A kitchen full of books
• My coffee maker from a former student
• Decorating Committee
• Flair pens
• Pop up post-it notes
• Student aids who actually do what we tell them to do
• The grant paying for my master's degree
• LTM days
• Light bulb moments
• Unexpected hugs

So, what are you thankful for in your teaching career?

5 MORE THINGS EVERY TEACHER SHOULD DO EACH SUMMER

I previously posted my 5 Things Every Teacher Should Do Each Summer, which I still stand by and highly recommend you check out. But let's be honest: as teachers we put our whole heart and 99.7% of our energy into teaching during the school year so we have a lot to make up for come summer time. That's why I've got:

1. Read

Perhaps I'm a little biased as a Reading teacher, but I think everyone should have a stack of books ready to read when they have some free time. I get a little overzealous with this each year and take home way more than I could possibly read. This year I brought home:

The Secret Life of Bees
Fever 1793
Speak
Paper Towns
Okay for Now
Unwind
A Lesson Before Dying
Kiss Kill Vanish

I also brought home several academic books to skim over the summer, and Mechanically Inclined to read. And I have several academic articles and research reports to look at. And books on hold at the library. And then I bought a new book... So yeah, I went a bit crazy.

2. Improve Your Health

Have you run yourself ragged during the school year? (Who am I kidding? Of course you have!) Take some time this summer to rejuvenate and take care of yourself. My primary goals this summer are to get back to eating healthy meals, and to get on my treadmill! I started the Zombie 5k program forever ago but never finished. This summer I'm committed to completing the program.

Also go and pamper yourself a bit. Get a fresh haircut, a nice pedicure, or a relaxing massage. If you don't want to spend a lot, look for a beauty school or college nearby that offers discount services for letting students do the work. Students in those schools need a certain number of practice hours and they're always looking for new victims volunteers.

3. Purge

This can apply to your home or your classroom (if you're crazy like me and will going in during the summer). Chances are you've got stacks of old receipts to file, old gifts you never wanted, clothes that don't fit, outdated class posters from the 80s, and some expired cough drops sitting around. Time to get rid of the junk, and breathe in a sigh of relief when you see how much more open your space becomes. If you haven't already read it, check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. The author does get a little extreme and spiritual with her belongings, but it gave me the motivation to finally get rid of tons of clutter. Also, rolling your socks is the best thing ever.

4. Socialize

When's the last time you talked to your second cousin who has the same unique hobby as you? Was your nephew teething the last time you saw him and now he's applying for college? Now's the time to reach out. Sure, take a few weeks at the start of summer to hibernate and recharge, but then get out there. Look up some old friends, get together with family, go out with colleagues with a "no work talk" rule, or even just spend some quality time with members of your own household. Trust me, being aspie, this is hard for me, but I know there are benefits and it's worth the effort.

5. Make a List

Hmm, maybe this should have been the first thing on this list, but oh well. It's already typed and I'm too lazy to renumber everything now. Plus I want reading to be first because, you know - biased Reading teacher.

Anyway, one thing I find most years is that I let the summer get away from me. A week or two of just relaxing turns into a month and a half, followed by panic of "Where did the summer go?!" and "I didn't do anything!" So if you follow nothing else in this post, at least do this: Take a few minutes to sit down and put together a master list of what you want to do this summer. There should be fun and relaxing stuff, home projects or tasks you need to take on, and some work related stuff you never have time for during the school year.

To make this easier for you I've put together a printable summer planner which you can grab for free here:

Looking for ideas? Here's my list:

So, what are your plans for the summer?



Note: this post contains a few affiliate links for books, which means I receive small commission if you decide to purchase anything through Amazon using my links. I only recommend items I've purchased and used myself, so trust that everything I post is legit, and I haven't received anything free or been asked to post any of these items : )