F.+Reflections+&+Discussions


 * ​ __ COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS __

1st MP-WESTERN HEMISPHERE/NOODLETOOLS**:

//Teresa//-I enjoyed the integration process between Jen & Neil that allowed students to see a connection between their geography research and the MLA Works Cited in ELA class. The students seemed to have a good grasp of the concept of plagiarism and how it applied to Copyright Law; especially how they can use different sources in their projects. Their first attempt with Noodletools was a learning process! I think after they do 2 or 3 projects using Noodletools, it will become second nature to them. But we must give them time to practice and learn this new program!

//Jen-//I am really glad we decided to introduce Noodletools at the beginning of the school year. Students will now be able to practice using this program every time they do a project this year. Ninth grade teachers should see a big improvement with the students' MLA skills next year. This program is not only really useful for the students, but it also is very helpful for teachers when it comes to grading. The students can just share their works cited pages with us so we have immediate access to their work and we can eliminate the need for printing. I also think the pre-test was a nice idea. It will be interesting to compare those scores with post-test scores later in the year. Lastly, I really enjoy​ed Teresa's lesson on plagiarism. I find every year that students really don't seem to understand exactly what plagiarism means; they know it is bad and that they shouldn't do it, but they don't really know what not to do. Teresa went in depth, telling them about plagiarism when it comes to cds, dvds, documents, etc. She told stories about copyright information that both interested and informed the students. I feel we are finally on the right track with plagiarism, and honestly I've had less cases of it this year than I have had in a long time.

//Tammie-//This was challenging for my learning support students but all of them attempted to learn how to cite their sources correctly. They asked for help with concepts that they didn’t understand and where to place the correct information in noodle tools. One modification that was made for learning support students was that they had to have two, instead of three, citations. In the future, it would be helpful to review what should be capitalized in a citation. Another concern was getting students to understand that part of their grade would be for geography and that the citation part would be for English. Apparently, this was a new concept and it did make much more sense to them when we did the Middle East project.

//Cathleen-// This was a fun project to do with the students. They had worked with bar graphs before and initially thought the creation of the graph would be easy. They quickly discovered the project's difficultly would be the equal interval with the wide range of numbers in the data (population). We had many discussions on rounding, estimating, and displaying the data accurately. The questions I chose for discussion were not worded well and will need to be changed the next time the project is done. Many students liked and used the rubric checklist provided with the project. This improved many of the grades.

//Neil-// This was the first time that I had my students create a Western Hemisphere travel brochure, so I wasn't exactly sure how they would turn out, but overall they did a good job. The information that they needed to research for their brochure was pretty easy to find using the online CIA World FactBook, the encyclopedias in the library and the books that Teresa had pulled out for them, but the students did seem to struggle using Noodletools to cite their sources. This was my first experience working with Noodletools and I think it's going to make the process of citing sources much, much easier for students once they get the hang of the program. I agree with Teresa though, we must give them time to practice and learn the program. I hope that the citations needed for the rest of our collaborative projects will go a little bit smoother than they did this time. Only time will tell.


 * 2nd MP-MIDDLE EAST/DATABASES:**

//Teresa-//Jen & Tammie's ELA classes came to the library to learn how databases are different from websites. The ELA classes began a small search on holidays celebrated in the Middle East and learned how to cite a database correctly. Then Neil's geography classes came the next day to find more information on a Middle East country using Power Library databases. Neil and I coordinated database selections for the Middle East project. During the course of the project, we discovered that some information was covered in SIRS Discoverer and some information was covered in Student Research Center. This little difficulty helped students discover the differences between the 2 databases and how to be persistent in finding information!

//Jen-//This introduction to Power Library was great! For English class, students completed a little (and interesting) holiday project on their countries prior to the bigger geography Middle East Project. This small holiday project was used to help students learn how to use Power Library databases. Students were shown specifically how to look up their individual countries and data. They also were guided through the process of citing a professional article (which is something that is new to them). Personally, I didn't gain access to professional articles like these until college, and there no one gave me instruction as to how to use the provided databases. These students will be way ahead for research projects as they get into high school and college. Using databases will greatly improve the quality of their resources and final products. After completing the Middle East project, we decided to add the use of databases to the Holocaust Project. This way the students will again be exposed to these professional articles. They hopefully then will become even more comfortable using the databases.

//Tammie-//Students really enjoyed this project. We went to the library and practiced using two different data bases. Students appeared interested in the information that they were being asked to find. It was challenging for the learning support students to determine which information to find off of which site. In the future, I will likely narrow their questions down to one particular site. I may also have them use the second source as a way to gather other interesting information that they would like to include.

//Cathleen-// I was looking forward to this project with the students, but due to timing with the end of a unit and being prepared for the mid-term exam I was unable to work the project in with Jennifer, Tammie, and Neil's schedule. I plan use the data that the students collected in geography when I prep for PSSA testing.

//Neil-// This Middle East database project was just a one day trip to the library for my students. They had previously spent a day in the library with their English class and had been shown how to use Power Library databases and even were given the opportunity to start looking up some information that I required for my end of the project. So, my trip to the library went pretty smoothly. To mix things up a little bit though, I gave the CP classes a new country so that they had to start over from scratch. This gave them a chance to complain and practice their Power Library skills a little more. And as Teresa already stated, students found that not all of the information that they needed came from one database, so they had to find and utilize a second database. The Noodletools portion of this project proved to go a little smoother (as I had hoped), although several students forgot their passwords. All and all, they are getting better and becoming more competent using resources in the library.

**3rd MP-AFRICA/PICTURE CITATIONS/VISUAL LITERACY:** //Teresa--Using Images Ethically// //**:**// I asked students to think about the variety of images they see everyday (photos, posters, signs, t-shirts, etc.) Using a Power Point presentation, the concept of "Visual Literacy" was introduced to Jen & Tammie's classes. Students looked at images and completed a graphic organizer describing the image & creating a title for it. We spoke about the power that images have to communicate to others, and how it is ethically responsible to credit artists for their work. I showed the students how to cite images correctly and enter the information into Noodletools to create a Works Cited for the project. I also reviewed "Copyright Law and Intellectual Property Rights", which were vocabulary terms introduced earlier in the year. Neil's classes came to the library to complete a geography project on Africa which included citing photographs correctly, and the students used many different sources to find information on their assigned country. They had to create a graph using a website, reference books, the SIRS Discoverer database, the CIA World Factbook, Travelocity to answer traveling questions, and other websites. The students were presented with many options, but I was pleased to see them choosing the databases that they learned about in the previous marking period. They completed Noodletools citations and there were fewer questions and problems. I feel that they are becoming more comfortable and fluid with that database.

Neil - After learning how to cite pictures and images in Jen and Tammie's classes, my students were asked to create a 15 slide powerpoint using previous research skills that they had been taught this year. They used reference books, SIRS Discoverer, the CIA World Factbook, Travelocity and other websites to find specific information on their African country. Additionally, they had to create a pie graph showing ethnic group populations using the National Center for Education Statistics Website to include in their powerpoint and to hand in to Cathleen. At the end of their powerpoint they had to include their citations from Noodletools. The students seemed to enjoy creating this powerpoint and researching their countries went a lot smoother at this point in the year because they knew where to go and how to utilize various research tools in the library.  Jen-The lesson on visual literacy provided students with another excellent, memorable presentation in the library. To get the kids started, Teresa showed them a variety of images and they were asked to try to identify them. The students enjoyed trying to figure out the images, and they were thus engaged and focused as Teresa began to give the key points of the lesson. The information presented was current (even including pictures of the then quite recent earthquake in Haiti), and this made the students even more willing to pay attention. Students then learned the proper way to cite these images with Noodletools, a skill that they will need for the rest of their years in school. They will now be well prepared to cite the many images they will use for their library Holocaust Project at the end of the year.

Tammie-In this lesson, students engaged in a discussion about images and what they communicate to others. They also learned the importance of identifying where the images came from. Noodetools gave my learning support students an easier way to cite the information, which in turn gave them more time to focus on the content of their project. This is certainly a skill that they will continue to use throughout their educational career. Furthermore, they will be better prepared for the Holocaust Project that they will be doing at the end of the year. I like the idea of learning a skill and then continuing to use that skill throughout the school year rather then learning a skill and then never applying it again. This helps my students to have a better understanding of how to apply to skill across curriculumn.

Cathleen - In this activity I had the students do a portion of the Geography powerpoint. The students used the "Create-A-Graph" website to create a circle graph of the ethnic populations of the country they were researching in Mr. Shaner's Geography classroom. Students saved their graphs to incorporate them into the Geography powerpoint and provided me the a copy along with a paragraph describing the graph discussing the percentage of population to the whole population. Students enjoyed using the technology in the math classroom and seemed to enjoy the project as a whole. One difficulty, was getting students to remember their geography material for math class and also to have the information that their partner may have be holding onto.


 * 4th MP-HOLOCAUST/BIAS/PROPAGANDA/EKPHRASTIC POETRY:**

//Teresa//- Students were taught the meaning of "Bias & Propaganda", witl examples used during the Holocaust period by Hitler and the Nazi's. Students completed a graphic organizer during the presentation & then completed a matching game where they matched the different styles of propaganda with Nazi posters. Also, a prize-winning video clip was shown based on bias & propaganda. Students were then shown different websites to look at photographs with different Holocaust topics. Students chose a Holocaust theme from a photograph, researched the topic (examples: children of the Holocaust, concentration camps, ghettos, etc.), wrote a poem, and presented the photographs and poem in a Photo Story. The Photo Story project incorporated many learning skills that we have been building upon throughtout the school year. Students cited the research and their photographs in MLA format, they wrote an ekphrastic poem including elements of poetry such as simile, personification, etc., and they pulled it all together in a presentation form that included background music and their voice narration. The students enjoyed using their creativity to express the somberness of the Holocaust research.

Neil - My role was to give the students background information on propaganda and the Holocaust to help them better complete this project. Students initally learned about propaganda in geography while learning about China and their Ministry of Propaganda. Jen then continued the discussion of propaganda in her english classes. When my classes finally got to Western Europe and Germany, we discussed and learned about the Holocaust. Students looked at a Holocaust Prezi, read several articles relating to the Holocaust and listened and participated in a couple of discussions/lectures. When it came time to start the project, they already had more than enough background knowledge about the Holocaust to aid them in their Photo Story.

Jen-Students really enjoyed this project. With the updated requirements, students were able to have more input in their projects. In previous years, we assigned them project topics and the students spent much of their time researching that topic. This year, students picked their own topics by deciding which areas of the Holocaust most inspired them to write a poem. The students seemed to have an easier time writing their poems this year simply because they cared more about their topics. They also had a much easier time with literary devices because we have been covering them daily with literacy boards. This project really showed me how helpful it has been to add the literacy boards to our English curriculum. Noodletools also made this project easier to complete (in previous years, students spent a lot of time in the library just trying to figure out the works cited). This new project, aided by the new curriculum components for both the library and English classes, has been a welcome change.

Cathleen - Students will be working on the Holocaust project over final exams. Students will have to identify what type of graph is needed based on the data provided, create the three graphs, and explain why they chose the graph.

Tammie-The learning support students completed the same project with a few modifications. They were asked to find 6 to 8 photos and to use three literary terms within their poem. The ability to apply and literary terms that we have been learniang throughout the year was a good test of student knowledge and was also a good assessment tool. The students enjoyed deciding on which pictures they wanted to use in their Photo Story and then wrote a poem, in pairs, that went along with the pictures they had chosen. The pair grouping worked well with the learning support students as developing a poem was difficult and frustrating for them to do on their own; however with a partner, all students were able to complete the assigment and appeared to enjoy the activity.


 * All Marking Periods-READING APPRENTICESHIP:**

//Teresa//-**(Biography/Storytelling)**: The librarians demonstrated research skills used for taking notes on a famous person's life. We also modeled how to give a good presentation to your audience. I gave a speech about Tiger Woods. Jen and I discussed having her classes come back to the library in a month's time to use different sources to prepare for the students' speeches. This worked out great because the news of Tiger's infidelity was hitting the TV shows. I asked the students if I were giving a speech on Tiger this week, what would I have to change? It brought forth the concept of researching beyond the superficial facts and why it's important to display persistence in your research.

//Jen-//We have used quite a few reading apprenticeship techniques in English during this year. Students have kept reading logs and participated in extended reading for four full novels. We have also completed vocab maps, talking to the text responses, book projects, playdoh models, chunking questions, scrabble tile games, etc. The students do seem to respond well to the RA techniques, and it is obvious that they have been exposed to some of them in previous grades. One notable RA moment happened in mid-December. I used talking to the text with an article on December 16th. Neil then used it on the 17th (this was unplanned) and the kids noticed and commented. It is neat that they are seeing the connections between subject areas. Another specific item I'd like to talk about is the storytelling/biography project. I loved it!!! Other English teachers have been doing this for a couple years, but this was my first experience with it. What an awesome project!! Katie and Teresa gave great instructions to the kids, showing examples of student presentations and each personally presenting. Next year, I'd like to prepare one myself to show them yet another example. I'd also like to record some kids presenting so they can see more student examples. Some students did an excellent job, speaking in accents, using props comfortably, and interacting with the audience. I was really impressed with the amount of work some kids put into this project. Other students still did quite well, but their nerves caused their presentations to be less organized. Next year we might do some practice sessions in class to help students with speaking skills.

//Tammie-//Using the strategies from reading apprenticeship has been effective in helping students to better understand and actively engage in the texts they are reading. By using the 25-Word Abstract, MVP, and VIP strategies, students are better able to identify the main ideas of the narratives they read. In addition, the reading apprenticeship strategies helped students with comprehension as they researched a person for their biography project. Students also represented their thoughts about the texts they had read in a written note card format along with a presentation where they pretended that they were the person they researched. These presentations were successful. In the future, it would be beneficial to incorporate more reading apprenticeship strategies. Others that I would like to use more of include talking to the text (particularly in the poetry unit) and reciprocal teaching in groups with short novels.

//Cathleen-//Reading Apprenticeship is limited in the math classroom, meaning that it is difficult to use on a daily basis or even weekly basis. Although limited, it is used. Strategies used were highlighting and T-chart (Know/Find). Students disliked the T-chart, but also found it the most beneficial. The T-chart helped the students to discover the useless information, identify important information, and know exactly how many parts there were to the problem. I was pleased to see that some students took the idea of the T-chart and adapted it to meet their needs when working with word problems. This is a strategy I feel is great for the students, and I will continue to use it.

//Neil- I have used R.A techniques throughout the year in my geography class that have reinforced various techniques that Jen has explained to our students in English class, such as Think Out Loud, Talk to the Text, 25 Word Abstract, Think Pair Share, VIP/MVP, I Saw/I Thought. I have found that the more our students hear and use some of these techniques in other classes, the easier it is to implement them in my class. They are so accustomed to some of these techniques at this point in the year that they just expect one of them when we read or look at an article (and they don't complain anymore). I have also found that using some of these techniques has allowed me to incorporate more higher level thinking into my lessons. As I become more comfortable with some of them, it will allow me to branch out and experiment with other techniques.//