"Where have all my pencils gone?" asks EVERY TEACHER EVER. I am notoriously bad about giving away pencils (because ain't nobody got time to argue with a student about not having a pencil), and running out of my extra supply way earlier than I had planned. This year I promised myself I was going to come up with a plan that put pencils in my kids' hands as needed but also held them accountable for giving them back to me. While I was at it, I added in highlighters and headphones - two other commonly borrowed items that are returned broken or not at all. I decided on the always versatile over-the-door shoe organizer and a pack of clothes pins as my means of accountability. I set up two organizers in my classroom and filled them with headphones, pencils, and highlighters. Each one of my students has a clothes pin with his or her name written on it clipped to the organizers. The idea is that as students borrow an item, they'll move their clothes pin to the pocket from which they took the item. We use a school currency at CRIS called Cougar Cash. Students must clip a piece of Cougar Cash to the pocket as well. When they return the item, they get their Cougar Cash back. If they don't return the item, the Cougar Cash is mine to keep. The clothes pin and Cougar Cash will also indicate who has my items, so I can track the more expensive ones (like headphones) down. So far, it's working well. I've only lost two pencils, and those students told me they planned to keep them anyway. Ha! What's your plan for keeping up with your borrowed materials? Let me know in the comments!
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If you're a teacher in South Carolina, there is a very high chance you're aware of Wednesday's #AllOutMay1 Day of Reflection planned in the capitol city. Teachers across the state have decided to use personal days to make their voices, concerns, and opinions heard. So many teachers are planning to attend the rally that many districts have chosen to cancel school for the day. If you haven't made up your mind as to whether or not you will attend, details about the rally from the group SCforEd have been posted below for your information. Personally, I 100% support the efforts of my colleagues and peers. Unfortunately, I cannot attend the rally (even though my school district has canceled school) because I am due to go into labor any day now. (Yay, baby!) I still want to be able to support the efforts, however, so I've created a list of productive things teachers and other community members can do even if they can't join the march. Feel free to comment with more ideas! List below are 8 practical ideas to support the cause that don't involve physically attending Wednesday's rally at the state house. If your district hasn't canceled school, and you have decided not to march, there is always support you can give right from school. Volunteer to cover classes for teachers who are attending the rally. Help cover car and bus lines, lunch duty, etc. Help write lesson plans and/or assist substitutes in your content area. Step up where gaps need to be filled for the day. Offer to help make signs and/or tshirts for those attending the march. Send them with teachers from your school who can represent your presence at the rally. Put together goodie bags for those who are attending. It's going to be hot, and some teachers are traveling from across the state. Provide sunscreen, bottled water, snacks, gas cards, parking meter change, etc. for teachers who have decided to attend. Though it sometimes seems fruitless, continue to contact your local representatives and other government officials. Send emails, letters, Tweets, Facebook messages, etc. (Be sure to follow your district rules such as using personal accounts for correspondence and sending during "off duty" times!) Make your concerns known! Encourage others to do the same. South Carolina Senators and Representatives can be found here. The sponsoring group SCforEd needs funding to help pay for the costs of police support, a medical tent with supplies, and copying costs. You can donate to their PayPal account! Particularly in those districts that school has been canceled, students are going to be curious about this rally. Take the opportunity this week to educate your students about teachers' efforts and the education needs in our state. Share the Teacher Bill of Rights and encourage students to collaborate on a Student Bill of Rights. Create a lesson teaching students about their rights as citizens of our state and country. Some resources for Civic Responsibility can be found below. The representative color for Wednesday is red going along with the #SCRedForEd movement. On Wednesday, wear red and use social media to show your support. Encourage your students and their families to do the same. Use hashtags such as #SCRedForEd, #SCForEd and #AllOutMay1 in your posts. (Remember to follow your district rules such as using personal accounts for correspondence and posting during "off duty" times!) You don't have to physically be at the state house to rally for change. Invite teachers, students, and community members to join you before or after school for a protest at your school building (or one collective school building in your district). Wear red, make signs, and stand somewhere visible. Invite the media or use social media to share your support. Parents and community members can often make a bigger difference than teachers when it comes to spearheading change! Help educate your friends and family who do not live in the daily world of education. Invite them to join and/or support teachers' efforts. The more voices that are heard, the better! There are an abundance of community events in the Columbia area that engage participants in some form of collaboration, community building, or social activism. This past weekend, I attended one of these events (Columbia International Festival) to explore the event, the people, the outcomes, and how it relates to creating space for the Latino community or other non-mainstream groups represented in our local school districts. The festival was a wonderful experience, and there is definite value in it for our students and our community as a whole.
It is located at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds and is considered "the largest yearly international event in South Carolina and neighboring states" with an average attendance of 17,000-22,000 people each year (Columbia International Festival, 2019, para. 2). The festival hosts representatives from over 150 cultures organized into sections by continent. Foreign-born hosts sponsor tables full of engaging artifacts such as clothing, currency, and photographs. Many booths include interactive activities such as learning to write or speak foreign languages, food and drink taste testing, and playing with instruments or toys that originated in the specific countries. Attendees are encouraged to interact with the hosts, ask questions, and take pictures at the booths. One patron shared thoughts about her time at the festival. “It was such a great experience to be a part of so many cultures at once. My mom’s country was represented there, the Philippines, and it just made me realize how important immersing oneself in their own culture is but at the same having an open mind to the diverse culture around them.” International Food CourtThe International Food Court, available on Saturday and Sunday only, was full of a variety of authentic and exotic foods. Over twenty countries were represented. Anything from French eclairs to Chinese fried rice (and much more unique choices as well) were available for purchase. The food court worked on a ticket system. Patrons could buy tickets for $1 each and spend the tickets at the food vendor stands according to the prices set by the vendors for each food item. Featured countries in the International Food Court included:
Cultural EntertainmentA variety of musical, dance, martial arts, and other performances took place throughout the festival. The artists performed on stage in the room where food vendors were located, but the performances were also broadcast on large screens all across the festival space. Some featured performance groups included:
International BazaarThe festival also included an International Bazaar at which patrons could shop for souvenirs such as clothing, jewelry, art work, and consumable items such as hot sauce and honey. The variety of countries represented at the Bazaar included:
Cultural DemonstrationsAlmost every booth offered a cultural demonstration or interactive activity for patrons to view and/or participate in. Such demonstrations included origami folding, the use of chopsticks, writing in another script, playing cultural games, saying Hello, Thank You, and/or Good-bye in a different language, or counting in another language. I personally tried my hand at Chinese character writing. I also received a demonstration of Vietnamese writing. The booth host wrote my daughter's name (Margaret) on a bookmark for me. My husband also (unsuccessfully) attempted a Rubik's cube at the Hungary booth and tasted dates and tea from Saudi Arabia. Parade of NationsThe Parade of Nations took place on Saturday at 2pm. During this event, "traditionally dressed representatives from nearly 100 countries proudly [presented] their home country’s flag" (Columbia International Festival, 2019, para. 9). Community ConnectionsOne aspect of the Columbia International Festival I truly loved was the obvious connection to a wide variety of community groups and members. For many, this seemed like the social event of the year. I was amazed at the number of organizations represented that I did not even know existed in our area. I also was interested to see how many resources, such as the Latino Newspaper, are available for our Spanish speaking community members. It was a beautiful opportunity to see the diversity of our community represented, celebrated, and respected. The diversity in the patrons of the event was also varied in age and culture. I was impressed by the number of families who attended the event together. The opportunity to participate in "actual experiences [such as the Columbia International Festival] have the most profound influence on what children think and believe" (Tirrell-Corbin, 2015, para. 7). Parents who expose their children to different cultures at an early age are helping develop teenagers and adults who are respectful, open-minded, and culturally aware. VolunteeringFrom what I could tell, this event was staffed mostly by volunteers. When I spoke to some of the volunteers, they provided a variety of reasons for choosing to volunteer. Some were fulfilling school requirements, some were there to represent and celebrate their own cultural identities, and some were part of a local cultural group or organization that chose to volunteer together. I was impressed by the number of young volunteers and families of volunteers who chose to serve at the event. Volunteering at events such as the Columbia International Festival gives students the opportunity to see new life perspectives. "For students in high school and college, the world can sometimes seem small;...volunteering in the community [allows] kids [to] spend some time outside their comfort zone, meeting people and experiencing situations they might not otherwise get to see" (Scholarship America, 2016, para. 3). The educational benefits of the Columbia International Festival are varied and valuable. Probably the most targeted event for students within the festival is the Global Education Day. According to the website, "up to 3,000 school children from all across the state [attended] this one-day educational event on April 5th, 2019 as the kickoff event of the 3-day festivities" (Columbia International Festival, 2019, para. 1). "Global Education Day (GED) is one day that is set aside especially for school children during the Columbia International Festival to educate them about the variety of cultures that are represented in South Carolina" (Columbia International Festival, 2019, para. 2). GED incorporates "both fun and learning [and] gives educators and parents an opportunity to open the eyes of their students, not only to the richness of our world but also to the ethnic diversity of South Carolina and to the positive contributions being made by foreign-born citizens" (Columbia International Festival, 2019, para. 3). GED is directly aligned with South Carolina's academic standards in Social Studies, Foreign Languages, and the Arts. PassportsStudents who attend the festival on Global Education Day receive a passport to help them navigate all of the represented countries. As students visit and interact with booths, they can get their passport stamped. The passport also includes general information about each of the countries in attendance. Personal ExperienceTwo years ago, my team took our students to the Columbia International Festival Global Education Day. It was a wonderful experience for them to learn about many other cultures, but there were a few things we did not realize before heading to the festival with our kids. First, we were not aware that the International Food Court was not available on GED. Students could purchase pizza slices or bring a bag lunch. Having now seen how wonderful the options are in the International Food Court and knowing what a huge role food plays within so many cultures, I truly wish students had the opportunity to experience it on GED. In addition, the live entertainment was not as abundant on GED as it was on the day we visited this year. That is important to keep in mind if you are expecting the full experience of the festival. Art Show and ContestThe festival recently began an art contest for South Carolina Students. This year, artwork pertained to the contest theme of “Exploring Europe” and could be created in any art media such as colored pencil, crayon, paint, oil pastel, ink pen, and 3D media. Categories and prizes were as follows:
Booth ActivitiesNearly every booth at the festival had additional educational activities and information. From interactive maps to themed crossword puzzles, each booth offered the opportunity for students to participate in self-paced, engaging learning. Connections to Best Practices in Education"Teaching and learning can become inherently spontaneous and student-centered when moved from the confines of the classroom into the world at large. From the collaborative learning atmosphere that results from the unique relationships developed outside the classroom, to the deep learning that occurs when students must put into practice 'in the real world' what they have theorized about from behind a desk, field experiences are unmatched in their learning potential" (Claiborne, Morrell, Bandy, & Bruff, 2019, para. 1). The Columbia International Festival gives teachers and parents the opportunity to immerse their students and children in a real world, social, diverse experience. The festival is engaging and sparks interest, questioning, and a deeper understanding of our world as a whole. In addition, opportunities at the festival span and integrate various content areas. "Learning experiences outside the classroom are inherently interdisciplinary. When [students] go out into the world, [they] encounter it as a whole and are forced to engage multiple modalities, no matter which pair of disciplinary 'lenses' [they] intended to wear" (Claiborne, Morrell, Bandy, & Bruff, 2019, para. 12). Many teaching standards require teachers and teacher leaders to "value collaboration and the interconnectedness of disciplines" (North Carolina Department of Public Education, 2009, p. 1). The Columbia International Festival is an excellent opportunity to embrace the interconnectedness of both the academic world and the culturally diverse real world. Connections to English Language LearnersTeaching students of diverse backgrounds is a responsibility that requires intentional practices. Effective teachers know how important a student's cultural background is, and they embrace and celebrate diversity in their classrooms. "They welcome their students' identities into the classroom, encouraging them to retain their native or community language and to maintain ties to their families and communities, knowing that these ties will in the end prove immensely important to their students' emotional and psychological well-being" (Nieto, 2013, p. 130). "Culturally responsive teaching is...purposeful and has specific goals; to affirm who students are in order to have them connect with school, accept and relish who they are, and succeed academically" (Nieto, 2013, p. 140). The Columbia International Festival represents so many unique cultures that it is hard to imagine a student in the classroom who could not identify in some way with the event. Exposing students to this festival definitely encourages students to accept their uniqueness and celebrate the uniqueness of others. Incorporating the GED as a field experience is a purposeful and powerful way to affirm students and show each one they are welcomed, valued, and included in the classroom, school, and community. Columbia International Festival. (2019). The festival. Retrieved from https://www.cifonline.org/ Nieto, S. (2013). Finding joy in teaching students of diverse backgrounds: Culturally responsive and socially just practices in U.S. classrooms. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (2009). Standards for graduate teacher candidates. State Board of Education. Scholarship America. (2016). Your kid should be volunteering. Here's why. Retrieved from https://blog.scholarshipamerica.org/your-kid-should-be-volunteering.-heres-why Tirrell-Corbin, C. (2015). How to teach children about cultural awareness and diversity. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/parents/expert-tips-advice/2015/08/teach-children- cultural-awareness-diversity/ As a reading intervention teacher, I believe one of the most important aspects of effective instruction is providing students with accessible texts - those texts they can read independently with fluency and comprehension. It can be difficult, however, to find lower level, high interest texts for use in the classroom. Below, I've listed some of my favorite online resources for finding accessible texts. I hope you will find them helpful! Commonlit.org is a completely free resource for students and teachers. Thousands of texts are available and organized by grade level, theme, genre, and literary devices. There are text sets and units available as well. Each text includes guiding questions as well as a standards-based assessment. The program will even read texts to students if you have students who need the audio version! This is by far my favorite resource! NewsELA.com has both a free and a paid pro version. The site includes nonfiction texts on a variety of topics. The texts are organized by grade level, text level, and standard. Also available are texts in Spanish and texts with writing prompts connected to Social Studies standards! Texts include activities such as power words, writing prompts, and quizzes. ReadWorks offers a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts organized by grade level and lexile range. The site offers paired texts, article-a-day sets, and a variety of supports such as question sets, vocabulary activities, eBooks, StepReads for differentiation, human-voice audio, and collections for ELL students. You can post assignments for students and track student progress as well. ActivelyLearn is a site that allows you to easily set up classes and assign high interest, interactive texts and videos for students to read and watch. The available texts are sorted by subject and topic and can also be narrowed down to specific grade levels or standards. My favorite thing about ActivelyLearn is the interactive aspect it has. As students read, guided questions are embedded into the text for students to answer. These questions are already available for teachers or you can add your own questions. Another great feature is that you can upload your own texts and videos to the program for students to access. As an added bonus for teachers, this site also provides a professional learning section!
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