Lynn Potter's Blog

As I Reflect….

Lynn Potter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:20:47 +0000

I have really enjoyed this class so much. I will admit at first I was a little overwhelmed. The articles and summaries that we wrote were very informative and not just busy work. This class was what a class should be, where students not only enjoy what they are doing, but leave with something relevant to their future. I have experimented with blogging before, but not to this extent. I plan on starting a blog with my advisory students when school starts back in the fall. I think it will be a great way to learn and get to know the students better, since my role as an advisor is to be an advocate for my young learners.

I plan on continuing my blog and hopefully it will become a good resource for other young teachers. The sites and resources I have found are great teaching tools and just like other fellow teachers, I want to share them.

Lynn Potter

Lesson Plan 2- Living Without Technology

Lynn Potter — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:18:14 +0000

“In our daily lives, 20th century technological advances surround us. Whether we are taking a hot shower, using the refrigerator, driving a car or turning on a light to read a book, our environment is shaped by hundreds inventions that make our lives more comfortable, automatic, productive and easier. The goal of this lesson plan is for students to understand how dependent we have become in the technical world and what “modern conveniences” really are. Students will identify the machines (technologies) in their homes and agree to live without them for a 24-hour period. By observation, this lesson will help give students a small glimpse into what life was probably like one hundred years ago and how we benefit from modern culture.”

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:
- Identify technologies that have made our lives easier, more efficient, convenient, cleaner, automatic and faster
- Demonstrate how technologies are crucial to our everyday lives
- Understand and demonstrate what are “modern conveniences”
- Identify 20th century inventors and inventions
- Analyze the benefits and/or downfalls of 20th century technologies
- Understand the basic and logical sequence of 20th century technologies (Understand technology is more than just video games and computers)

NCSCOS-5.04 Identify technological advances, and evaluate their influence on the quality of life in North Carolina.

I love this lesson plan. It gives the students an idea about what it would be like to live without all the technological advances they have. Students of the 21^st century don’t have a clue what it is like without the internet, cell phones, and all the other devices they carry along with them. I wanted to incorporate technology in my lesson plan and this one does that well. Using a journal also incorporates language arts. I believe this will be a fun and eye opening lesson.

Lynn Potter

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/lessons/lesson2a.html

Lesson Plan 1- The little house out back: The architecture of an outhouse

Lynn Potter — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:02:50 +0000

In this lesson students will practice forming opinions and supporting them with facts by examining pictures of a North Carolina outhouse and an architectural plan of an outhouse. They will use their knowledge of history to draw conclusions about the conveniences available to people of different socio-economic groups in North Carolina.

By Loretta Wilson

Provided by North Carolina State University / D.H. Hill Library and Special Collections

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to answer these essential questions:

What was daily life like during the second half of the nineteenth century?

What conclusions can you draw about the socio-economic levels of these people after looking at the images?

Students will be able to form arguments for or against this thought-provoking statement and support their answers with valid arguments:

Money and the ability to afford modern conveniences mean a better way of life.

Students will also be able to:

Utilize visual data

Make inferences

Form opinions and support them with facts

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

One 70-minute class period

Materials/Resources

Student textbooks

Photos of outhouse exterior and outhouse interior

Outhouse plan from the Built Heritage collection from the North Carolina State University Special Collections Research Center

LCD projector with computer or overhead projector to show images to students

Pre-activities

Before this activity students should have background knowledge of:

What is an outhouse?

For what was it used?

What inventions had to occur before outhouses became obsolete?

Arrange the room so all students will be able to clearly see the images. Make sure there is room for students to move to the images to inspect them more closely if they so choose.

Activities:

For preview activity, visual discovery activity, and enrichment activity, please go to the website.

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/5247

Critical vocabulary

Outhouse

An outbuilding with one or more seats and a pit serving as a toilet. (Also called a privy.)

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 8

Goal 5: The learner will evaluate the impact of political, economic, social, and technological changes on life in North Carolina from 1870 to 1930.

Objective 5.04: Identify technological advances, and evaluate their influence on the quality of life in North Carolina.

The reason I chose this lesson is because kids today do not have any idea what modern conveniences were in early North Carolina. In this area many people still used outhouses in the 50’s and 60’s. I know my grandparents did. They had a double seater. I never understood why that was such a big deal since it only meant you and someone else could go to the bathroom at the same time. I guess this lesson is sentimental to me. It would also be fun for the kids and something I think they will remember. I will use this lesson when teaching late 1800’s and early 1900’s social and economic advances in North Carolina.

Lynn Potter

A Professional Development Initiative for Developing Approaches to Vocabulary Instruction with Secondary Mathematics, Art, Science, and English Teachers

Lynn Potter — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:38:06 +0000

In an effort to develop vocabulary, this article describes a variety of approaches for vocabulary implementation in the classroom. A group of university faculty and secondary teachers from Allegany county help to compile this account of professional development that will help teachers establish an effective means of vocabulary instruction. Two approaches were developing rich representations of word meanings and learning how to use words. These strategies are particularly helpful to struggling learners.

Students need numerous encounters with words in an assortment of context. The group discovered it is easier for students to memorize related words than it is for them to memorize words without a connection. The group also came up with activities to help develop rich representations of words and multiple connections such as synonyms, antonyms, and analogies. Vocabulary workshops help develop understanding and word meaning. It is important that every classroom teacher takes the opportunity to teach vocabulary. Knowledge of vocabulary is essential to teaching any subject matter. This article also offered different strategies on how to implement vocabulary in different subject areas.

Lynn Potter

http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/carol/unit4/Vocabulay_Instruction.pdf

The Multigenre Paper

Lynn Potter — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:40:03 +0000

Teachers have been changing the way students do research papers to make them more relevant and exciting. Students also have many more research tools than in the past, including the internet. Resources are more abundant and convenient to locate. Multimedia access makes the final presentation more exciting and interesting than ever before.

The multigenre paper is a new way for students to research and produce a quality research document. This type of paper allows students to use several different genres in their paper instead of only one. Students can be much more creative and they don’t feel they are only researching facts. It allows them to know and interpret their topic several different ways. Students are still responsible for notes, endnotes, and citations. This gives the teacher the knowledge that the student researched their topic thoroughly. It also depicts the student’s knowledge of the different types of literary genres. The use of technology is another advantage of this type of research paper. Students use different types of software and programs to produce an effective paper. Because of multiple research techniques, the use of technology, and the opportunity to be creative, the multigenre paper is an excellent new way to do a research paper.

Should teachers let the students choose their own genres or should they give the students the format?

Should mutigenre papers take the place of conventional research papers or should students be able to write both types of papers?

How can grading guidelines be fair when there can be so much difference in each individual paper?

Lynn Potter

http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/carol/unit4/multigenrepaper.pdf

“I” poems: Invitations for students to deepen literary understanding

Lynn Potter — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:49:30 +0000

With so many books being written in first person narrative, it is not surprising that we need to teach our students to write in first person. Writing poetry will give students the opportunity to engage into a type of activity called “self- reflected closure”. This also helps student to comprehend on a higher level. When students write about the information they have obtained by reading, they enhance their thoughts and become more familiar with the deeper meaning of the text. “I” poems help student transform their ideas into an activity that will help them remember and understand their thoughts better.

Writing “I” poems before reading supports the student’s prior knowledge and experiences. The structure of “I” poems can be different depending on what the teacher wishes to accomplish in the lesson. Teachers can use different formats such as plot events, characters, or comparison. Free verse poetry is an example of a type of “I” poems. Another type used by many teachers is the fill in the slot type. Students are given the beginning of a thought or sentence and then they respond. This is an excellent way for students to reveal their understanding of plots and characters.

“I” poems give students the opportunity to put themselves in the characters place. They feel what the character feels and understand what the character is thinking. They also become aware of the setting and what makes one place different from another. Students can also become conscious of the impact of the chosen words of the author.

“I” poems give students the opportunity to put themselves in a characters position. Will this lead them to discover the character more or will it make the students more narrow minded about the character?

Are “I” poems appropriate for all learning styles?

Language arts teachers do not want students using the words, “I”, “me”, or other words that refer to first person when they are writing most papers. Will “I’ poems make students so comfortable writing in first person that they begin to use it too often?

Lynn Potter

http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/carol/unit4/IpoemKucan.pdf

Instructional Strategy #4 – Lynn Potter

Lynn Potter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:04:42 +0000

The First Word

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies for Engaging Learners
Guilford County Schools TF, 2002

Link to the Strategy: http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/act/strategies/first_word.htm

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source:

Purpose: To trigger students’ knowledge or thoughts of a concept, idea, or skill

Description: The First Word is a variation on conventional acronyms. By going through the method of examining a word and creating related sentences, students will gain a deep understanding and meaning of the word they are describing.

Procedure:

1. Assign students the name of an object, a topic, or key concept to write vertically down the side of a page.

2. Working in small groups or on their own, students should generate a short phrase or sentence that begins with each letter of the vertical work and offers important information or key characteristics about the topic.

3. Students can illustrate their “First Words” for posting around the classroom. Sharing “First Words” will allow students to identify important concepts that may have been left out of their own work.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity. NCSCOS Grade 8- Language Arts

1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
reviewing the characteristics of expressive works.
determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener.
making connections between works, self and related topics
drawing inferences.
generating a learning log or journal.
maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions.
taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks.

1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student:

shares personal reactions to questions raised.
gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions.
clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so, and asks classmates for similar expansion.

1.04 Reflect on learning experiences by:

evaluating how personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and historical issues.
appraising changes in self throughout the learning process.
evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? This strategy can be used before, during, or after reading. Using one word to describe multiple ideas is a creative way for students to respond to what they know, what they want to know, or what they learned from the text. This is an activating strategy which allows students to respond creatively. Most students will really enjoy this simple task and will not only learn from themselves, but others as well.

Instructional Strategy #3 – Lynn Potter

Lynn Potter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 11:35:24 +0000

3 – 2 – 1

Source (Where did this come from?): Reading Quest.org Making Sense In Social Studies

Link to the Strategy: http://www.readingquest.org/strat/321.html

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: This is an excellent strategy for use during and after reading. Students will have the chance to summarize key ideas, rethink their ideas, and ask questions about what is still unclear to them. This strategy can also lead to other teaching strategies such as using a Venn Diagram or reading maps by using student responses.

How Does It Work?
Students fill out a 3-2-1 chart with something like this:

***3 Things You Found Out
***2 Interesting Things
***1 Question You Still Have

Got A Version I Can Print Out?
But of course! You can download and print a version of a blank 3-2-1 chart and the generic version as described above. They are both on the same sheet; you can copy and cut them into half-sheets.

Download and Print:

http://www.readingquest.org/pdf/321.pdf

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity. NCSCOS Grade 8- Language Arts

2.01 Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
recognizing the characteristics of informational materials.
summarizing information.
determining the importance and accuracy of information.
making connections to related topics/information.
drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
generating questions.
extending ideas.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? This strategy works well because the discussion is based on students own ideas. They recount information discovered during reading and have the opportunity to ask questions about information they still don’t understand. This makes the strategy an excellent tool for learning since it is on a personal level for the student.

Instructional Strategy # 2- Lynn Potter

Lynn Potter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:26:24 +0000

Name of Strategy: Graphic Organizers

Source (Where did this come from?): Instructional Strategies Online

Link to the Strategy: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/pd/instr/strats/graphicorganizers/index.html

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: Graphic organizers are visual communication tools that use visual symbols. These symbols express ideas and concepts to communicate meaning. The main function of a graphic organizer is to offer a visual aid to assist learning and instruction. Most graphic organizers form a dominant image of information and permit the mind ‘to see’ undiscovered patterns and relationships. Graphic organizers are used mainly for reading, but can be applied to social studies as well.

Before instruction, teachers may use a graphic organizer to attempt to provide structure for the presentation of new material while indicating relations between ideas. Teachers can elicit information from students by creating a graphic organizer on the blackboard to get an accurate idea of students’ prior knowledge
During instruction, graphic organizers can help students to actively isolate, process and reorganize key information. This is because graphic organizers allow students to approach subjects cognitively because they assist thinking. The student must take an active role in learning while processing and reorganizing information. Modifying an organized structure of information gives students an opportunity to learn from their own mistakes. It also allows students to construct maps that are appropriate to their individual learning styles.
After instruction, students can construct their own organizers using the full text to isolate and organize key concepts. This summarization technique is a tool to see if students can interpret what was being taught and state it in concise, accurate terms. Post-instruction graphic organizers also encourage elaboration. If a student can connect prior knowledge with what was learned and identify relationships between those ideas, they are actively learning.
When introducing students to a new graphic organizer, you should describe its purpose, model its use, and provide students with opportunities for guided practice. Once students become comfortable with using the organizer, more independent applications are appropriate. In the end, you should encourage and assist students to create their own organizers.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity. North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Eighth Grade Language Arts

1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:

monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
reviewing the characteristics of expressive works.
determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener.
making connections between works, self and related topics
drawing inferences.
generating a learning log or journal.
maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions.
taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? I think graphic organizers are an excellent tool for planning and structuring ideas and concepts before, during, and after reading texts. You can use them to help explain and find the correlation between characters, setting, and other concepts that may otherwise be difficult to put together. It is a great tool for students to participate in an active role of learning.

Teacher Resources

Graphic Organizers (Grades K-8), Karen D’Angelo Bromley , Linda Irwin-Devitis , Marcia Modlo, 01 January, 1999 ISBN: 0590489283
Graphical Organizers as Thinking Technology – an article by James McKenzie
Rubric for a Graphic Organizer (Inspiration)
Graphic Organizers from NCREL – gives specific examples of graphic organizers such as K-W-L-H (Know, Want, Learn, How), Anticipation Reaction Guide, Spider Map, Series of Events Chain, Continuum Scale, Compare/Contrast Matrix, Problem/Solution Outline, Network Tree, Human Interaction Outline, Fishbone Map and Cycle.
Graphic Organizer Printables from Teacher-Vision.com – These graphic organizers will help you and your students organize ideas and concepts.
Online Graphic Organizer Generators
Various Graphic Organizers
Graphic Organizers from Education Place – PDF’s of many graphic organizers
WriteDesign On-Line – Graphic Organizers – explains the five main types of organizers with examples
Learning Resources: Graphic Organizers
ABC’s of the Writing Process – Specific Graphic Organizers Links
Graphic Organizers from Houghton Mifflin
Graphic Organizers from the Four Blocks Approach
Graphic Organizers for Content Instruction – from ESL net
Graphic Organizers that Support Specific Thinking Skills
Graphic Organizers from Scholastic.com
Graphic Organizers from Enchanted Learning
Free Graphic Organizers

Instructional Strategy #1- Lynn Potter

Lynn Potter — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:12:05 +0000

Anticipation Guide

Source (Where did this come from?): Reading Strategies Scaffolding Students’ Interactions with Text

Link to the Strategy: http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/anticipation%20guide.htm

Give a thorough description of the strategy and how it will be implemented. This should be a summary of the strategy according to the original source: This strategy will be used before reading to draw upon prior knowledge and recognize the effects of one’s own point of view in formulating interpretations of texts. Anticipation Guides are often structured as a series of statements with which the students can choose to agree or disagree. They can focus on the prior knowledge that the reader brings to the text, or the “big ideas” or essential questions posed (implicitly or explicitly) by the writer as a way for the reader to clarify his/her opinions before reading the text and then compare them to the writer’s message as they read.

Example of anticipation guide for Hamlet:

Anticipation Guide

Hamlet

Directions: On the continuum in front of each of the numbers, place an “x” that indicates where you stand in regard to the statement that follows. Be prepared to defend and support your opinions with specific examples. After reading the text, compare your opinions on those statements with the author’s implied and/or stated messages.

Agree Disagree

———————— 1. Families generally have a member’s best interests in mind.

———————— 2. Having a clear goal, and the ambition to achieve it, is honorable.

———————— 3. Power eventually corrupts the people who have it.

———————— 4. Revenge is the only way to gain true justice.

———————— 5. A person’s immoral choices can come back to haunt him/her

———————— 6. One must take a stand against injustice, even if the personal cost is great.

———————— 7. A person has to confront death in order to understand life’s meaning.

———————— 8. Moral courage is more difficult to accomplish than physical courage.

Explain what part of the standard course of study is addressed by this activity.

Competency Goal 1	The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
	1.01 Narrate a personal account which: creates a coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context. establishes a point of view and sharpens focus. uses remembered feelings. selects details that best illuminate the topic. connects events to self/society. 1.02 Analyze expressive materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by: monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed. reviewing the characteristics of expressive works. determining the importance of literary effects on the reader/viewer/listener. making connections between works, self and related topics drawing inferences. generating a learning log or journal. maintaining an annotated list of works that are read or viewed, including personal reactions. taking an active role in and/or leading formal/informal book/media talks. 1.03 Interact in group activities and/or seminars in which the student: shares personal reactions to questions raised. gives reasons and cites examples from text in support of expressed opinions. clarifies, illustrates, or expands on a response when asked to do so, and asks classmates for similar expansion.
Competency Goal 2	The learner will use and evaluate information from a variety or resources.
	2.01 Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by: monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed. recognizing the characteristics of informational materials. summarizing information. determining the importance and accuracy of information. making connections to related topics/information. drawing inferences and/or conclusions. generating questions. extending ideas.

Explain why you think this strategy will work. How does the strategy help your students learn? As students begin to read new material they go into “anticipation mode”. They examine such things as the cover, excerpts from reviews, information on the author, the number of pages, and even the size of the print. Many students will read excerpts from the text to determine the style or voice of the writer. This activity will help students anticipate the big ideas or thoughts that will be revealed as they read the text. It will provide that initial hook that draws the student into reading.