This is a sample of what a classroom newsletter might look like. I used Microsoft Word to create the newsletter and incorporated word art, drop caps, clip art, columns and other style and formatting options within Word to create an aesthetically pleasing and interesting document.
newsletterCG
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Social Bookmarking (Delicious.com)-Nets 1 and 5
1. The American Women! Exhibit on the National Archives website provides histories and documents pertaining to 106 American women. By taking a “virtual tour” of the exhibit, the viewer can read a chronological account of some of the contributions women have made to United States history. There is also an alphabetically list of key women, with links to biographies and lists of historical artifacts linked to their names.
Primary documents are a great way to supplement curricular materials in the classroom. While most history texts leave out women and ethnic people, primary documents provide insights into the histories and viewpoints of otherwise overlooked peoples throughout history.
2. According to the National Education Association’s “Students Affected by Education Gaps,” the following groups experience achievement gaps: Racial and ethnic minorities (particularly American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Blacks and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders), Students with disabilities, Students from low-income families, Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, English language learners, boys in lower grades and girls in high school math and science.
3. Perry Aftab’s “Guide for Schools on Cyberbullying” was a useful resource that reminded me that off campus cyber communications may or may not be punishable by the school. It put me in mind of the current UCSD debate over whether the students who hosted the recent “Compton Cookout” should be punished by the school. In this case, the event was off-campus but student conduct agreements might hold precedent over the fact that the event was off –campus. Cyberbullying can work in the same way; even though students may engage in the acts of cyberbullying at home or away from school, if there is a legal student conduct contract on file, schools may be able to take action despite the fact that the actual event happened off campus. This article really brought the importance of well-drafted student conduct agreements into focus for me. By allowing schools to get involved in these incidents, or at the least to pass the information on to parents, some of the ramifications of cyberbullying can be addressed in the school system.
4. Under the “Subject Access” links, I selected Literature and ELA and then linked to the Guide to Grammar and Writing website. This website would be a great addition to a high school language class because instead of running boring drills, students can engage in interactive online grammar quizzes. By making the quizzes interactive like this, students who are struggling can focus on specific areas, while those who are not can learn more advanced topics, all in the same classroom. In the typical high-school literature classes that I have observed, there is a wide range of competence in grammar and writing skills and having the flexibility that this website provides would be helpful.
Under the “Teacher’s Helper” links, I selected the “Assessments & Rubrics” link and then the “Research Project Rubric-Secondary” link; this link provided a completed rubric for use in a high school setting. From my own experience, the research project might be a single unit in some high school classes. Though a general writing rubric would need to adhere to the individual schools writing format and focus, this research rubric would be easily adaptable for any classroom. I have been told that the first few years of teaching involve a lot of lesson planning and curriculum development and that having resources like ready-made rubrics can help a new teacher stay sane during this process.
5. Results of the learning style quiz
a. Naturalistic-93%
b. Intrapersonal-88%
c. Verbal Linguistic-83%
Video: The “Community Begins with Morning Meeting” video discusses how the Care for Kids program connects students through a daily, morning meeting in small groups. The program has improved attendance, and social skills for students, and decreased bullying. Every middle school in Louisville participates in the program.
6. I chose a lesson plan for a 9-12th grade English Literature class. The lesson requires that students make a timeline showing how events and people have led to change over a long time period, focusing on one specific group. This lesson would require the students research any number of groups that are traditionally left out of high school curriculum. I think this is a great lesson for reviving enthusiasm when it begins to wane in students. Maybe after a unit or a book that leaves students feeling as if they cannot make change or that the world is in a state of despair, this lesson could demonstrate to students that it isn’t one act, but the culmination of many small acts over time that make change happen.
7. Question 2: Compared with White women, how likely are African American women in the U.S. to die during childbirth due to a lack of access to prenatal care, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality?
Answer: 4 times as likely
Discussion: This was actually a shocking statistic to me. As a nation, I feel like we act as if we are superior to some extent based on statistics like low infant mortality and longer life expectancies; what we don’t discuss is how these statistics are variable based on ethnicity.
Question 5: According to a 2006 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans comprise more than 37% of people arrested for drug use, 59% of those convicted for drug use, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug use. African Americans comprise what percentage of U.S. drug users?
Answer: 15%
Discussion: Another question in the quiz shows the disparity between sentencing for crack and powder cocaine. These two questions are very linked because by targeting crack cocaine, the legislature targets African American men and women. Crack cocaine use is more frequently associated with African Americans and that White and middle to upper class people more frequently use powder cocaine, it seems clear that the law specifically targets African Americans. This sort of targeting leads to the disparities between usage rates and incarceration rates reflected in this question.
8. Quiz Score: 100%
Teaching students netiquette is important because it will help them communicate without offending others. They will most definitely use online communications in school and work settings, and it is important that they make a good impression. ☺
Primary documents are a great way to supplement curricular materials in the classroom. While most history texts leave out women and ethnic people, primary documents provide insights into the histories and viewpoints of otherwise overlooked peoples throughout history.
2. According to the National Education Association’s “Students Affected by Education Gaps,” the following groups experience achievement gaps: Racial and ethnic minorities (particularly American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Blacks and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders), Students with disabilities, Students from low-income families, Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, English language learners, boys in lower grades and girls in high school math and science.
a. Determine the diverse groups served by your school. Consider cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Find out the degree to which families and students in these groups are accessing available school services.
I tend to research everything extensively before I “dive-in,” so compiling data on the “diverse groups served by [my] school” is a natural feeling idea to me. Having information readily available is a key part of me understanding any issue and planning a way to approach that issue. As such, determining what groups are being served and to what extent they are being served seems like a necessary first step to creating an includive school that would narrow achievement gaps. b. Network with parent, family, minority community, and faith-based organizations concerned with the needs of diverse students. Solicit their involvement and input in the design and implementation of initiatives for culturally, linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse groups.
I spent a little over a year developing a resource guide for San Diego Head Start Centers to use to network with faith-based organizations. Part of this process involved relying on parents and community members to share with me their needs, and part of it involved becoming imbedded in the community to discover the resources that could meet those needs. The first hand knowledge of this process makes me feel confident in saying that these practices are helpful for communities and individuals and would be beneficial in bridging achievement gaps for diverse student groups.c. Gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff.
As I mentioned before, researching and utilizing available resources is something that makes me feel comfortable. Presenting and sharing my research as resources is an equally comforting idea to me. I feel as if a little bit of knowledge goes a long way in diffusing otherwise tense situations; that feeling makes me believe that sharing well researched knowledge by way of distributable resources could help teachers to diffuse the situations they deal with daily.3. Perry Aftab’s “Guide for Schools on Cyberbullying” was a useful resource that reminded me that off campus cyber communications may or may not be punishable by the school. It put me in mind of the current UCSD debate over whether the students who hosted the recent “Compton Cookout” should be punished by the school. In this case, the event was off-campus but student conduct agreements might hold precedent over the fact that the event was off –campus. Cyberbullying can work in the same way; even though students may engage in the acts of cyberbullying at home or away from school, if there is a legal student conduct contract on file, schools may be able to take action despite the fact that the actual event happened off campus. This article really brought the importance of well-drafted student conduct agreements into focus for me. By allowing schools to get involved in these incidents, or at the least to pass the information on to parents, some of the ramifications of cyberbullying can be addressed in the school system.
4. Under the “Subject Access” links, I selected Literature and ELA and then linked to the Guide to Grammar and Writing website. This website would be a great addition to a high school language class because instead of running boring drills, students can engage in interactive online grammar quizzes. By making the quizzes interactive like this, students who are struggling can focus on specific areas, while those who are not can learn more advanced topics, all in the same classroom. In the typical high-school literature classes that I have observed, there is a wide range of competence in grammar and writing skills and having the flexibility that this website provides would be helpful.
Under the “Teacher’s Helper” links, I selected the “Assessments & Rubrics” link and then the “Research Project Rubric-Secondary” link; this link provided a completed rubric for use in a high school setting. From my own experience, the research project might be a single unit in some high school classes. Though a general writing rubric would need to adhere to the individual schools writing format and focus, this research rubric would be easily adaptable for any classroom. I have been told that the first few years of teaching involve a lot of lesson planning and curriculum development and that having resources like ready-made rubrics can help a new teacher stay sane during this process.
5. Results of the learning style quiz
a. Naturalistic-93%
b. Intrapersonal-88%
c. Verbal Linguistic-83%
Video: The “Community Begins with Morning Meeting” video discusses how the Care for Kids program connects students through a daily, morning meeting in small groups. The program has improved attendance, and social skills for students, and decreased bullying. Every middle school in Louisville participates in the program.
6. I chose a lesson plan for a 9-12th grade English Literature class. The lesson requires that students make a timeline showing how events and people have led to change over a long time period, focusing on one specific group. This lesson would require the students research any number of groups that are traditionally left out of high school curriculum. I think this is a great lesson for reviving enthusiasm when it begins to wane in students. Maybe after a unit or a book that leaves students feeling as if they cannot make change or that the world is in a state of despair, this lesson could demonstrate to students that it isn’t one act, but the culmination of many small acts over time that make change happen.
7. Question 2: Compared with White women, how likely are African American women in the U.S. to die during childbirth due to a lack of access to prenatal care, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality?
Answer: 4 times as likely
Discussion: This was actually a shocking statistic to me. As a nation, I feel like we act as if we are superior to some extent based on statistics like low infant mortality and longer life expectancies; what we don’t discuss is how these statistics are variable based on ethnicity.
Question 5: According to a 2006 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans comprise more than 37% of people arrested for drug use, 59% of those convicted for drug use, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug use. African Americans comprise what percentage of U.S. drug users?
Answer: 15%
Discussion: Another question in the quiz shows the disparity between sentencing for crack and powder cocaine. These two questions are very linked because by targeting crack cocaine, the legislature targets African American men and women. Crack cocaine use is more frequently associated with African Americans and that White and middle to upper class people more frequently use powder cocaine, it seems clear that the law specifically targets African Americans. This sort of targeting leads to the disparities between usage rates and incarceration rates reflected in this question.
8. Quiz Score: 100%
Teaching students netiquette is important because it will help them communicate without offending others. They will most definitely use online communications in school and work settings, and it is important that they make a good impression. ☺
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