Using Prism with Poetry

I teach "The Rubaiyat" to my World Literature class. I LOVE IT. I love introducing students to poetry from so far away and so long ago that still has messages for today.

However,  it is an older poem that takes a bit of work interpreting, and for many of my transfer and exchange students, it serves as their first official poetry lesson. So, before we jump into the world of Persian Poetry, we start with something a bit easier: Bon Jovi's, "It's My Life."

My class experiencing Bon Jovi.

Despite being so old there's a pager in the music video, students really like this song! Plus the message is very similar to The Rubaiyat, and it's filled with figurative language.

We start by watching the music video and talking about what the "plot" is. Then we review literary devices and on their own students find as many of them as they can. Ater five minutes I let them pair up to compare and share. Finally, ONE of them gets out a computer, and they head to Prism and create an account.

Then I share this link where I uploaded the lyrics to the song and picked three different categories. You could make these whatever you wanted. I've done this with connotation (positive, neutral, negative) and literal vs. figurative language.

After a quick demo, where I show students how to highlight, erase, and switch highlighters, they are on their own! I have them go through the poem. With a partner, they decide what color different sentences and phrases need to be highlighted.

In this case, I made it a little tricky. I didn't just mark things metaphors or similes I moved those into different categories (figurative language, clever writing, word choice). This meant with some things (like allusions) they had to figure out where it fit best. Once they finish they click "Save highlights."

In the end, you can show the visual representation of what everyone marked. It highlights the words according to the majority. So you can see in the example that gonna is marked as figurative language by most students. However, some marked it for word choice and some clever writing.

This provides a great visualization and allows us to discuss this as a class, which we did. Students pointed out that gonna was a great example of informal diction making this a very informal.

Overall this is a very easy to use

Now, some teachers consider a flaw of PRISM to be that you can't see what each student did individually. That's true! If you really want to see what each student did you can have them screen shot their page and submit that to you, but I care more about the quality of conversations they have with their partner. So more than needing to see what they highlighted, I walk around and make note of their discussions.

Graphic Organizer Station

I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I was NEVER a huge fan of graphic organizers. they just didn't work for my brain. Nonetheless, I completely recognize how they help students sort through the ideas going through their brains. Often in class we'll all do a graphic organizer together, but I also know some students who would like to use them more than others.

Thus, I introduce you to: My graphic organizer station.

Nothing fancy, I think I got the "File Purse" at Target and the manila files I scavenged from a teacher who was retiring.

Some of the graphic organizers are ones I've created myself (like the Venn Bow Tie) but a lot of them I got from Love Learning with Liana's store. It has eight different graphic organizers and they each made the cut!

Let's take a closer look at my station

Fancy tape = Decorating :P

1. Before anything else, admire my plant. It has been two weeks and it is still alive!!!

2. It has a quick note on what graphic organizers are and that they may be used any time a student thinks it will help. No fancy font, but I used some gold tape, so that counts as being decorative, right?

3. IMPORTANT It has a note about what to do when they take the last graphic organizer. They are to hand me the empty folder (or put it on my desk) so I can make more copies before the last class.

But how am I supposed to know what copies to make from a blank manila folder? I am glad you asked.

Labeled Tabs

Worksheets taped to the front

4.   In addition to the "title" of the graphic organizer written on the tab (yes I have the handwriting of a five year old boy), I also have the worksheet itself taped to the front of the folder. That way I know EXACTLY what worksheet I'll need to make copies of. This is important because I have several copies of slightly different graphic organizers. 

Compare and Contrast 1

For example you can see the I have three different compare and contrast worksheets. One (above) is just columns for the students who don't really like graphic organizers, but know they need to sort their thoughts.  To the left you can see I have the standard Venn Diagram (from Liana's packet). However, if you follow this blog at all, you'll know I am not a fan of Venn Diagrams, so I also have my Venn Bow Ties (below). 

Since these are all about what helps the student the most I provide all of these options and students can pick the one that works best for them.

Compare and Contrast 2

While the main idea of these worksheets is to help students help themselves, you can also use it as an easy way to differentiate a class. If you know one student struggles with finding the author's purpose, and you know that's a task they'll be doing in class, hand them a copy on their way into class (or while they are working). They'll appreciate it, and they'll be better equipped to answer the question when they get to it. 

Any graphic organizers I am missing?  Do you have a graphic organizer station in your class?

Looking to stock up on some organizers yourself?  You can grab my Venn Bow Tie for free here and Liana's are currently free (no idea how long that will last) here.

Top Three Tasty Teacher Lunches

I am ALWAYS looking for snacks. Here's a sample I got.

English teacher note: I tried but my Ts fell short in the title. I guess I could have said, "Treats" but that makes me think of sugary desserts. Update After publishing this post I realized I unintentionally spelled tasty wrong! I fixed it, but the web link will forever verify that when I am hungry.... I don't spell well :)

Poor writing aside,  I am all about the snacks and goodies. When I was in Mexico I taught three times a day and had office hours Tuesday and Thursday. Pretty much all day Thursday I would be grading. Occasionally students stopped by for help. They would often ask why I was always eating nuts. I explained that if I don't eat, I get cranky...and they want me to be happy when I was grading, right? Though my intention was not for them to feed me, I usually found anonymous gifts of snacks found by my office door on Thursdays.Students can be very lovable sometimes :) The point being I do not work well on an empty stomach, and I am not sure any of us do.

Snickers gets that a hungry mind makes a troubled brain

In Mexico I had three hour lunches (WOW). Now I have just thirty minutes, and once a week I have to chaperon at lunch meaning I need to eat standing or grab a snack and go.

In an effort to fuel my body better (and keep me happier and the best teacher I can be), I am going to try to get in the habit of making better lunch choices. Mainly, I am going to try really hard to eat lunch. This was one of my new year resolutions, and I did get better at easting something instead of starving all day. Now I want to get better at what I am eating.  I've tried a bunch of different lunches and snacks during the summer. I was looking for five things.

1.  I wanted things that I could make the night before so in the morning I could just grab them and go. 
2. I have to be able to, "grab them and go." Portability is key!
3. It needed to be "healthy." I don't care about the type of diet, but I knew I didn't want to have recipes that called for five cups of butter or three cups of sugar. 
4. I had to feel "full." I can spread peanut butter on celery. It is delicious, but it takes about an entire stalk of celery before I feel like I am not starving... so that's not gonna work.
5. Delicious. If I don't enjoy it, then I don't want it.

These are my top three winners.

NON SOGGY SALADS

I've seen tons of versions of the Mason Jar Salad (there are cookbooks dedicated entirely to this topic). This one is simple and yummy.

• Step 1. Make your favorite Thai salad dressing, or skip this step and buy one you like. 
• My favorite is about 4 tablespoons lime, 5 tablespoons oil, 1 table spoon soy sauce, fresh ginger (a teaspoon), a garlic clove (minced), 1 thinly sliced chili pepper, 3 tablespoons cilantro and about 1 twist of freshly ground sea salt with 2 twists of freshly ground pepper... YUMM. Makes enough for a salad meant for four people, so you'd probably only use a fourth of it for lunch.
• Step 2. Put the dressing in the bottom of a mason jar
• Step 3. Open and drain a can of chicken
• Step 4. Put this in the mason jar
• Step 5 Add chopped mushrooms, bell pepper, bean sprouts and celery (crunch!)
• Step 6. Add sliced almonds (optional, but I love these)
• Step 7. Add spinach (the stuff from a bag works fine)

When you get to school you shake it and then dump it on a plate! The greens were on the top so now they're on the bottom and everything else should have stayed crunchy and delicious.If you have a pepper grinder you can even top it with some freshly ground pepper at school (it's all about the details!)

HEALTHY CHIPS

Another option is zucchini chips. I used to make them all the time! I have healthy in italics because I am not going to pretend I am a nutritionist... but i have to believe they are healthier than me buying a bag of potato chips.


Step 1. Cut zucchini into thin and even slices
Step 2. Coat with olive oil and freshly ground salt / pepper
Step 3.Arrange on a cookie sheet
Step 4. Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip them and bake for another 20 minutes.
Step 5. Remove and let cool (they should be golden brown. If they aren't you may want to leave them in the oven a bit longer)
I put them in Tupperware with a dip (powdered garlic in plain yogurt) during break or prep periods. If you want something with more protein (or less garlic) you could dip them in hummus.

CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS

I found out about baked chickpeas on a road trip a while ago. I have made them at home numerous occasions.  This is one that is pretty basic but I love.


Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Step 2: In a bowl combine two tablespoons of live oil and two cans of (drained) chickpeas. Stir to make sure the olive oil coated all of the chickpeas.
Step 3. Add your favorite spice to the mix. My mom makes a "Mexican" seasoning that is dried cilantro, peppers, cumin, and I don't know what else it is amazing though and I use that.
Step 4. Arrange the chickpeas on a cookie sheet
Step 5. Add freshly ground salt and pepper (I add more salt than pepper)
Step 6. Bake for 30 minutes

These are SUPER crunchy and addicting. They are the perfect snack to tide you over before lunch, or during the after school staff meeting (you may want to bring enough to share!).

What about you?
All this gets me wondering. What's your go-to for lunch?
Do you buy something at school? Make meals Sunday night? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
Do you skip lunch altogether but snack voraciously during the school day?

This List Price is $39.90, but it could be yours for free!

To entice you to share your favorite recipe, I'm having a giveaway! The prize is a dual pepper and salt grinder You could keep it at your house, or even in your classroom to add a touch of class to your lunchtime (because freshly ground pepper always sounds fancy!).

This grinder can be used for any spices technically, but as a boring person, I use it for salt and pepper. It retails at $39.90 but is currently on sale for $23.97 on Amazon.

I was lucky enough to get a free product and was given the chance to give a free one to a fellow teacher. As a result, here we go! If you want your own just leave a comment with your favorite lunch time recipe for school and then fill out the form below. Your recipe can include a link or be written in the comments directly. I'd love to get some more ideas.

You can earn bonus entries by following me on Twitter, or answering a quick poll about your lunch habits.  The winner will receive an Amazon code which gives them the salt and pepper grinder for free! While this blog is directed mainly towards teachers, you don't need to be a teacher to apply. Just keep in mind meals you think would work best for a teacher!

Good luck!

Alternative to Vemn Diagrams

Anyone who watches Dr. Who knows that bow ties are cool.

Well, here's a way to bring bow ties into your graphic organizers! Why you may ask?

Maybe you're perfectly content with Venn diagrams. That's awesome! I never was. I always felt they were very awkward and didn't give me enough space to express myself.

Check out this video for more on my hatred, and alternatives to the standard Venn Diagram, including the Venn Bow Tie... because Bow Ties are cool.





For anyone wondering why I am comparing Mean Girls and Julius Caesar, check out this post where my stduents make infographics exploring the similarities and differences between the movie and the play.

As promised in the YouTube description, if you go to Teachers Pay Teachers you can download a free worksheet with some sample pages. Try them out, and let me know what you think.

Most importantly, if you have other graphic organizers that you love, or if your students like the Venn Bow Tie, let me know :)

Valentine's Day Goodie Bags

Assembling all the goodies

A finished bag

I just started this job at a new school, and Monday the English department has a meeting.

Since Saturday is Valentine's day, I thought it would be a nice time to show everyone how much I appreciate them, by making little goodie bags

I originally was going to make cupcakes, but so many people are watching their weight, I decided that candy was better. This way, if they don't want it, I am sure they can find a several students to reward with sweet treats!

They aren't the cutest, and they aren't the most creative, but I thought I'd share them here.

• Each person got: a pencil sharpener in our school colors
• A cute little Coca-Cola glass
• Cadny (to fill the glass of course)!!!
• A monogram notepad made from their initial
• A note thanking them for being so sweet

If you were interested in making similar bags for co-workers, students, or really anyone, I made a PDF with the graphic you see above (free fonts via fontspace) you can download it for free here.

Do you get crafty for Valentine's day? Or stick with something simple? Ignore it completely? I'd love to know more about what other teachers do.

Coding for Teens

I recently saw a celebrity interview ( I am ashamed to admit that I don't remember who) where he said something along the lines of: I think every student should learn coding. It was like typing when I was younger. Everyone thought typing classes were a joke, but now everyone types everything.



I agree! I think that in ten years people who code will have a head start on those who don't.

I believe that students and schools are realizing more and more that in addition to learning facts, students need to learn how to use them. In other words, more than learning how something works, they need to figure out how it works by actually making or creating it.


There are lots of websites and apps out there to help people learn how to code. There's a free one going on right now i wanted to share with you from webucator.

1. To find it you go to their Self-paced Courses page. 
2. Browse through the courses to find the course you want to take!
• For coding, webucator suggests Java Training, PHP training or Javascript Training
3. Click on the Order Now button next to the course. 
• Ignore the prices because I am about to give you a coupon!
4. Enter CODE4KIDS for the Coupon Code and click Validate Coupon.
5. Agree to the Fine Print
• By using the CODE4KIDS coupon, you certify that you are registering students who are at least 13 years old. NOTE: enter the student's information on the billing and student registration forms. USE A UNIQUE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR EACH STUDENT.
• When signing up you agree that instructor support is limited to content covered in the course. 
6. Problems? For any registration questions, you can email: code4kids@webucator.com.

I won't lie, I haven't tried these courses, but any time I can pass on savings that help educate your students and save hundreds of dollars I'm sure to do it.

There are other sites, so if you dislike that one don't quit on coding! Check out www.codecademy.com http://code.org http://www.codeavengers.com/ This year I plan to take a course and then post an updated blog about how I would use it in the classroom, but for now I am sure you can find tons of information out there to help you:)

Plus, if you have any students who don't do anything in English outside of school, this may be a way that they will spend more reading, which will undoubtedly help their English in your class!

Let me know if any of your students take the course and what they think!

Plicker to Check Student Comprehension

I've read on quite a few message forums that many teachers would love to use programs like Kahoot or the Socratic App in their class, but they have problems. Some schools have a strict no cell phones on campus policy. Other students don't have the financial means to each have an electronic device (cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc.). Sometimes my students all have the technology, but the school WiFi is so slow that the apps and websites just don't work.

There are also completely online alternatives like using Google Forms or SurveyMonkey where you can have students answer directly on the site, but often allowing students to take these quizzes online gives them the chance to use notes, or discuss answers with friends. Sometimes great, but not every time.

There are also plenty of old school no tech ways to get students to answer questions. This blog post is about technology that only requires the teacher to have technology.

Plickers is a free app that can be downloaded on Android or Apple products. This version of low-tech meets hi-teach is made possible through the use of  Plicker's cards. There are enough cards for 40 students, so any class of 40 students or less is set! If you are a technophobe, this may be a great first step for you! You will be using a device, but your students won't.

I like to say it is a 10 step program:

1. Sign up. You can download the app and sign up there, or sign up at their website 
2. Create a class. This has to be done on the site, not an app. 
3. Add students. Simply put in your students' names and they will be assigned a card number.
4. Print the cards (or purchase them from Amazon). If you are printing them yourself I'd suggest you print them on card stock instead of paper. You can laminate normal paper to make it last longer, but sometimes laminating paper causes glare making the reader difficult to work.
5. Make a poll. This is a "quiz" that your students will answer. You can add questions from the app or the website.
6. Give the students the question and answer options. This could be on a PowerPoint, Prezi, verbally, or on a piece of paper.
7. Let your students answer by holding their card up so that the option they think is correct (A, B, C, D) is upright.
8. Use your tablet / phone to "scan" the class and record your students' answers (anonymously).
9. Use these answers to immediately decide if students have a grasp of the material, 
10. Later go back and examine different trends for individual students and try to find ways to help them personally understand the material. This is GREAT to help you differentiate later.

 I don't think this form of technology is useful for every teacher. If you have a 1:1 program in your school you have other options. If you would rather use lo-tech options, that's great too. This is just another tool for your tool belt!

What do you think? Would you ever use Plicker?

Interested in Making Dream Flags?

I am leaving ITESM in about a month!

As such I am putting together packets to pass onto teachers who will be teaching the levels I teach.

One of these packets is the Dream Flag Project!

I really think that the Dream Flag Project is an amazing opportunity to get your students connected internationally.

If you are interested in starting I am offering the packet for free! I believe that ANYONE who wants to should have the chance to be involved and this is my chance to help :)

You can download and view the packet below or download it from Teachers Pay Teachers (if you haven't registered yet you can do so here)

It contains too much information (some worksheets you can certainly skip) but it gives you plenty of options.

Dream flag 101 from Carissa Peck

I really hope you take part of this project and that your students enjoy it as much as mine have! 

What to use instead of Google Translate

My students the other day asked about translating an odd slang word into English. First, I rarely give word for word translations, I encourage students to give me a definition or use the word in a sentence. Second, I encourage my students to figure out meanings on their own given the context. Third, I had no idea what they were talking about and even their descriptions were confusing me.

I suggested that they look it up on WordReference. One of the students responded, "We use Google Translate."

I cringed.

Now, don't get me wrong, Google Translate is great in many situations. Sometimes I use it to translate an entire webpage and get a general idea of what the page is trying to say. Other times I have to write a text in English and then again in Spanish. After writing in English sometimes I Google Translate to Spanish and then go through and correct and rewrite the translation. Is it faster? Sometimes! However, for simple word to word translations, there are so many better sites to use.

I really like wordreference because in addition to definitions they have forums. In the forums you can see (or ask yourself) specific questions about specific instances the word is used. They are also helpful if the definition isn't found!

However, as much as I wish me just saying, "Google Translate isn't really the best" would influence them, my students like proof...and songs...and Disney.

Thus, I bring you, "Google Translate Sings." These singers run the lyrics of songs through Google Translate multiple times (for example from English to Spanish, Spanish to German, German to Russian and then Russian to English again. At the end they sing these new lyrics.

Check out this example which uses the song, "Do you want to build a snowman," from Frozen. You can see the original lyrics on the top of the video and the "translated" lyrics on the bottom.

 

They have tons of these. Maybe find one your class would like, and show it as a reminder that brains are often best translators students have!

Want to share this link? Click the birdie to share a tweet!

Do you have any funny Google Translate mishaps that have happened with your or your students? Share them in the comments!

Here's another Water Freebie!

Since I just posted about the UNICEF mobile site to donatewater and keep students off their phone, I thought I should share this great ebook about different ways to get your students thinking about water.

 The book is designed for teachers in London: however, most of the activities can easily be adapted to the city where you teach. Some of them are obviously English related: write a story about a river in the shape of a river for example, but other activities that aren’t English based are great examples of tasks you can use for task based lessons.

 Keep in mind that Earth Day is coming up in the spring, so if you are planning to incorporate anything about water conservation into a lesson later, it may be best to introduce something water related now. This way when you teach water conservation later, they will be able to refer to the earlier lesson.

For example, students can animate the water cycle (MEW010) and focus on a specific tense. Alternatively, students can focus on the use of transition words.

There’s another activity where students go online and try to track specifically where the water in the school (or house) comes from. Then they track the path via the pipes to their house. This should give them appreciation of how far their water travels.

A lot of science experiments are great for getting students to talk to one another, write down their thoughts and then share them with the class. For instance, you can have students make a water filter and try to filter water you have made dirty. Later they can present their filter to the class and hypothesize what could have made it better.

Was every mission great? No. A few flat out would not work in my area. For example. When they suggest counting rain drops left on cardboard, they are envisioning a rain that doesn't come down in sheets the way it usually does in Culiacan. Bu that's fine! There are more than enough suggestions, so I can ignore the ones that don't work for my class and adapt the ones that may.

The book overall is well written. It is NOT written specifically for an English Language Teacher, but if you are like me, then you are used to adapting lessons all the time! Plus, this book has super cute illustrations by Tom Morgan Jones. 

There's also a version of the book for students without all the teacher's notes.

I saved the best part for last! There's a related website MissionExplore.net
At this site teachers (or students) can sign up and start earning basges! It is all in Beta right now, but it looks like LOTS of fun and a great way to keep students engaged and maybe get the competitive ones really working hard!

Alphabet Books Year 2

This year will be the second year my students have the chance to send their books around the globe. Again, I am asking for teachers who would be willing to take a student made book and try to work it into their class. The books are simple alphabet books often including a rhyme, and always including pictures! Assuming we get the budget approved, we will try to send the books to 14 different schools (it may be less). In addition I get to send eBooks to schools! All I ask for in return is that you take a picture or video of your students with the books. If you are interested please fill out the following form. The books should be done and sent out by May, 2014!

5 places to find CPD online

I have been seeing many teachers New Year's resolutions and many seem to be to learn new technology, try a new technique in class, or, basically, to keep growing. As a teacher it is really important to always be growing. We should strive to be a better teacher every day. Luckily, there are tons of places to find professional development: local conferences, at your school, and even online!


1. LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter etc. That's right! Social media is an easy and informal way to keep developing as a teacher. You can join groups on Facebook and linked in that are devoted just to your subject, or all educators. With twitter you can follow certain hashtags or other teachers. Teachers share blog posts, links to awesome videos, and help one another out when they have questions. When I first started teaching a deaf student I had NO idea how to adjust my lessons. LinkedIn gave me some great responses and encouragement!

2. Webinars There are tons of webinars online! Some of them charge, but I've found a great number that don't. Keep an eye on social media to see when new ones come up. The British Council just did one on teaching Special Needs students, Cambridge recently did one on teaching higher level learners and American TESOL does one every Friday on technology to use in class! Most book publishers will hold webinars so you can search their sites too (e.g. MacmIllan). Attending these live (or watching the recording) is a great way to grow as a teacher. Sometimes completion of these webinars will even get you a certificate.

3. Classes Websites like Udemy, WizIQ, iversity and others make it easy to make yourself a better teacher without every leaving the room. There are the classes you'd normally think about (like online TEFL certificates) as well as ones that may not be as obvious. For example, learning to code, or taking better pictures could make you a better teacher. Keep an eye out for MOOCs too! These are classes which are typically held on a large scale. Many universities have started offering these for free. Harvard, Yale, and others  

4. Blogs That's right, I count reading blogs as professional development. I get great ideas from seeing what other teachers have done. I love being able to be inspired by other teachers and adapt their lessons or ideas to my own classes. Don't limit yourself to just your subject area and age level. I have gotten great ideas from math teachers' blogs and many activities designed for little children are easily adapted to adults. Just by seeing how other teachers do things (and learning from their mistakes) you will be a better teacher! I admit I don't really have bloggers that I follow regularly. I mainly check out whatever blogs look good when they are posted on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

5. Read I tell my students one of the best ways to improve their English is to read. I feel that one of the best ways to become a better teacher is also by reading. Read online journals, news articles, e-books. Whatever you can get your hands on that will give you more information and make you more creative or make you a better prepared teacher.

In the end that's it. The five different ways you can become a better teacher online.

What do you think? Did I leave anything out?

Free Joke E-Books

I have read some, though not all, of these.

I would not suggest using all of these jokes in your class, but this is just an example of how many FREE jokes are out there!

As a teacher it is up to YOU to find the best jokes for your class.

If you don't have a kindle that's OK you can download the free app and use it on your tablet or smart phone. No smart phone? That's OK too! you can read them on the computer!

PLEASE be sure to double check before purchasing these. Most free e-books are only free temporarily. As of 8am (my time) December 4th, these were all free, ,but that could change literally any minute.


Also, be kind. If you are reading a book you didn't pay for, it is considered polite to leave a review for the author.

For more information on using jokes to teach pronunciation, check out my free presentation!

Enjoy!