The Blogging Adventure Continues...

Through my blog reading tonight I found a cute BlogLovin' button thanks to Miss Third Grade.  I found it on Middle School Shenanigans, so thanks for sharing!  Click the button below to get your own.  
I also added a button to my page, so make sure to check it out.  It has been a productive evening :)

Tech Tip- how to link in a blog comment

I am such a blog newbie, despite the fact that I have technically been blogging since November.  Recently I joined BlogLovin' and I am LOVIN' it.  So far I have transferred all of the blogs I follow to BlogLovin' (now that number is a whopping 86), downloaded the app for my iPhone and iPad, and slowly I have started to see my number of followers crawl up.  Thank you to the nine people following me.  Since I have been reading a lot of blog posts, I have been so inspired.  Occasionally, I want to learn more and that usually means that I want to comment on a post.  Thus came the motivation for this post. 

Why isn't my link showing up as a clickable link? 

 

 When commenting on others' posts I wanted to include my blog name, thus giving them easy access to check out my blog.  But, every time I copied my blog's web address into the comment it didn't show as a URL.  So my easy access...not so easy.  In order to see my blog, the reader of the comments would have to be motivated enough to copy and paste my web address into their browser.  I did a little research (i.e. I searched google for the answer) and I am sure it will not surprise you that there was an answer to my problem.  I still feel that there may be an easier answer, but I am happy with the solution.  Now when I include my website in the comment it actually shows up as a link.  

I found my answer at The Bexter Review (at this post), so you can read the original post if you would like.  

Tutorial:

Copy this code into your comment section, but change the blue portion to the link you want and change the pink portion to the text that you want displayed.  It's that easy!  

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/7543229/dava-smith-english-teacher">Follow Dava Smith English Teacher on BlogLovin’</a>

Thanks for reading my Tech Tip.  Feel free to let me know if I there is an easier way.  I am always eager to learn new things.  

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I am linking up with BookJourney's It's Monday! What are you reading? today.

I am pleased to say that I finished two of the "adult" books that I set out to enjoy this summer this week.
Losing the Moon and The Lost Symbol
I really enjoyed Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry.  It is the second book of hers that I have read.  Previously I read and loved The Art of Keeping Secrets.  This book was not quite as suspenseful, but it was still good.  I like the way that Henry weaves in love stories.  This book did make me a little uncomfortable due to the illicit nature; however, in the end I was satisfied by the way the story panned out.

I didn't enjoy The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown as much as my chick lit choice.  I read it in anticipation of Inferno, but my reaction caused me to be much less excited for Inferno, which I'm reading for a book club I'm in. The Lost Symbol had a lot of masonic secrets which didn't jive well with my Christian beliefs.  Especially the details near the end of the book pertaining to the Bible.  Despite my misgivings, it was an entertaining read.

Esperanza Rising and The Wave 

I am also reading some YA fiction right now in preparation for the new school year.  I am in the midst of re-reading Esperanza Rising.  This is the seventh grade summer reading book.  I feel that this book may be a little young for seventh graders, despite the age of the main character.  I think they will do well with it as an independent read.  When we start school I will begin the unit with pertinent background information.  I am currently making a GoogleDoc worksheet that will take the students to various websites for more information about the book and the time period.  I plan to write a post very soon about the wonders of GoogleDocs...I'm in love.

The Wave by Todd Strasser is the Social Studies summer reading book for eighth graders.  It documents the tale of an accidental social experiment that help the students see how the Holocaust could have happened.  This will inform our reading of Anne Frank's diary and connect with what the students learn in Social Studies about the Holocaust and Hitler's brainwashing abilities.  I am writing journal entries to go along with (some of) my reading this summer.  You can check them out here, and of course I'm using GoogleDocs!  I am not finished with this book yet, but I am enjoying it.

Teachers Write- Thursday Quick Write

I just found a professional development of sorts.  It is a virtual summer camp for writing called Teachers Write.  Check out the details here: http://www.katemessner.com/announcing-teachers-write-a-virtual-summer-writing-camp-for-teachers-librarians/

So here is my response to the quick write Thursday prompt:

What We See vs. How We See.
Full description of the assignment: http://www.katemessner.com/teachers-write-71113-thursday-quick-write-with-megan-miranda/#respond

I am going to write from the perspective of two different characters.  I am taking the term "quick write" quite literally.  I am writing what comes to mind and then doing a quick edit of my work.  See if you can figure out who my two characters are.

1.  Finally, a moment alone and the book was calling her name.  Come...open my pages...delight in the story that I'm here to tell you.  But, Shanda didn't actually get the chance to open the book.  Five seconds after her "moment alone" she heard the dreaded words, "Mom, when's dinner?"  Of course, it was always her pleasure to be serving her family.  Making dinner and doing laundry and doing dishes...but how she missed those moments alone.  Thinking that dinner could wait, Shanda slipped outside on the back deck and opened her book.  Instantly she was transported into the world of Thomas and Katherine and their sultry love scenes.  Although Shanda only got to read one chapter, a smile was on her face for the rest of the evening.  Dinner was cooked; dishes were done; laundry was put away, and yet Shanda was still with Thomas and Katherine in their woodland cottage.

2.  Sarah avoided the kitchen table like the plague.  There was an item on the table that she did not want to see, think about, and certainly not read.  The book was assigned three weeks ago and had to be read by Monday, only two days away. Sarah hated reading and knew that this book would not turn that around.  She found other things to do instead of walk past the table.  Sarah organized her closet, did her math and science homework, and spent two hours on facebook.  Unfortunately, the time had come and the book could no longer be avoided.  If Sarah wanted to have any chance of finishing her assignment she had to get started.   She trudged over and flung out her arm.  Even without looking, her hand found the exact object that she had been avoiding for three weeks.  The location had been seared in her mind, and soon, the words would be as well.

This was an interesting activity for me.  I usually write along with my kids when I assign quick-writes in the classroom; however, those are almost always connected to the literature that we are reading.  It was harder to pull something out of thin air.  I think it is a valuable activity, and I want to start doing more of this next year.  I still think that you can dig deeper into the thoughts of characters by stepping into their shoes, but it would also be nice to see what the kids come up with when given a more open prompt.

Book Adventure

A quick update and then some exciting new stuff.  I have had students who finished early with their current writing assignment register for www.literatelearner.com.   I haven't yet done a post test on the six-traits, but this is the first step towards higher scores (hopefully).

Wow, I found an awesome resource today.  I actually have had the website on my "Find a Book" worksheet, but today I actually looked at the website in more depth.  One of the resources that I wanted is a way to quiz my students on books that they are reading for fun.  This website has that and so much more.  The site will allow you to create classes, and the students will get accounts.  They even have a way for students to earn points that can be redeemed for prizes.  I am excited to use this resource next year when we begin our 1 to 1 chromebook pilot program.

And the website is:Book Adventure

I have been spending a lot of time blog hopping.  I have found so many useful resources from fellow teacher bloggers.  I am excited to use some of their insightful ideas in my classroom and on my blog.  One of the blogging practices that I enjoy is when people write about what they are reading.   One resource that bloggers often use is a widget connected to goodreads.com, and I plan on looking into that in more detail.  However, for the time being I will write about my current books in a traditional blog post.

1.  The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White.  One of the most important books that I am reading right now, as I am teaching it.  My seventh graders are currently reading this medieval inspired selection.  They are having trouble getting through it, but some are really enjoying the challenge.  I have found that they understand it a lot better when listening to the audiobook.  Unfortunately, it is not available online in audio and I don't want to spend extensive class time listening to a book.  I also started the book a little late in the year, and we are going to need about a chapter a day in order to finish it with a week remaining until finals.

Any thoughts on how to provide audiobooks for student listening at home?  I was thinking for short stories I could personally record them, but that wouldn't work for full length novels.

2.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  What an amazing books, and I think the 8th graders are finally getting into it.  In the heart of the trial, students are reading Tom Robinson's testimony (ch 19) as I type...if they're doing their homework ; )   While it took a long time for students to get into this book, I think they are finally hooked.  At least I hope so!  Audiobook bonus- someone uploaded the entire book to youtube.com  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7iZzmiBAEI

3.  A personal choice- Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth.  Recommended by a group of my avid readers, I am totally into this dystopian trilogy.  The third book won't be out until October, I think.  On another note, I do think that there is too much "love" in this teenage book.  I don't mind it as an adult, but I don't really like it for my school kiddos.   Check out the author's website: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/ 

4.  A book club choice-Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michale Dorris.  I haven't started this one yet.  It has to be read for book club by May 24th, so I better get cracking.  It looks really good, and bonus, it is on overdrive as an audiobook.  I have a commute of an hour and a half a day so audiobooks are my savior.

Thanks for reading.  Comment your thoughts below.

Teaching Writing

The six traits of writing guide the writing instruction at my school.  I teach seventh and eighth graders, and I have covered the traits a few times with them.  Unfortunately, my students don't seem to be "getting it."  I have done practice activities, given them a foldable, quizzed them, yet somehow the majority of the students haven't taken the time to learn the traits.  This has prompted an experiment.  I have found a website with interactive activities- http://www.literatelearner.com/6traits/page_template6t.php?f=main.  I wonder if allowing the students to independently explore the traits and complete activities online will increase their comprehension of each trait.  It is at times like these that I am so thankful for the internet!  There are so many useful pages that have been created to support student learning. Let's see if this works.   Look for an update later in the year.