7 Habits for Teens

You've probably heard of Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits, but did you know that there's a version for teens? Covey's son, Sean, has written The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

The Teen book is very accessible to young adults, using anecdotes and cartoons to illustrate the new habits, and activities to practice them.

This book could be used in a middle school in the following ways:

• getting an entire team on the same page with a common language and common goals
  
• advisor/advisee group discussions and activities
  
• a foundation for student court/facilitation (think win-win; seek first to understand, then be understood)
• school-wide common language and philosophy (sharpen the saw, think win-win, be proactive, paradigms and principles)
• class reading and activities for a language arts, social studies, or health class
  

Classroom Posters

Posters can reinforce a topic you are teaching (and they really dress up the classroom walls).

For one classroom assignment, my students created posters that illustrated illiteration, onomatopoeia, repitition, or rhyme. (I made the following materials available for them to use: posterboard, scissors, glue, markers, magazines.)

When they were finished, I covered the walls with the posters, a daily reminder of the literary devices we were learning.

Poster-making works well as an individual or group activity. And it is a great reinforcer for both tactile and visual learners.

Citations in the 21st Century

Here are a list of helpful web sites that show how things as diverse as emails, electronic media, personal interviews, TV programs, etc. should be cited:

ONLINE! Citation Styles
web site, email, listserv, forum, instant message

Documenting Information in Media Collections (Audio Visual Resources)
TV or radio broadcast, computer software, poster, game, sound recording, video, DVD

Noodle Tools: Quick Cite
personal interview, scholarly project, online forum, CD, email, personal web site

Son of Citation Machine
online journal, podcast, web blog, email, TV or radio broadcast, film, personal interview, lecture, web page, government publication, textbook, newspaper arttcle, conference proceeding, book

The Son of Citation Machine site will generate citations for you! All you have to do is pick the citation style and the type of resource, then fill in the blanks provided.

Literature Circles

Literature Circles are a great way to get students involved in reading.

The class is divided into groups. Then each group member is assigned a role, such as Discussion Director (create questions to lead group discussion); Illustrator (draw pictures to illustrate reading); Connector (find a connection between the reading and the outside world); Summarizer (write a summary of the reading); Vocabulary Enricher (find and define unfamiliar words); Investigator (find background information); etc.

Harvey Daniel's book Literature Circles contains reproducible worksheets for the above roles and more, including sheets for nonfiction readings. (The book also delves into the history of Literature Circles and ideas for classroom uses.)

Students are more involved in the assigned readings, because they are responsible for contributing to their group's discussion.

Comprehending 2-Minute Mysteries

Use Donald J. Sobol's Two Minute Mysteries or other short mysteries as a different way to work on reading comprehension. In order to solve mysteries, it is essential to know what is important in the story.

To make it fun, ask students to keep a "clue log" while you read the story out loud or while they read the story to themselves. After the story is read, students can discuss the clues in small groups or as an entire class, sorting out what could be important to the case and why. As students share, they'll teach each other about how to read for comprehension.

For some mysteries, additional research may be required. Let students know that that's fine. Not everyone knows how Arabic is printed or how a telescope works. Real investigators have to do research too. (This is another lesson of reading comprehension. Sometimes it is difficult to understand what you are reading without background knowledge.) One student from each group can chase down clues and get additional information.

Once groups have discussed clues and any additional information they have found, they can write a hypothesis. Then groups can present their "solutions" to the entire class.

This activity could be a good opportunity to use Literature Circles. Roles could be Moderator who keeps the discussion moving and watches the clock; Recorder who writes down all of group's clues; Researcher who looks for additional information; and Presenter who writes up and presents the hypothesis to the entire class.

For tough cases (and the first time you try this), you can demonstrate how you read a mystery, underlining key points of the story (on an overhead) and discussing why you think they might be important as you read the case out loud.

Oral History

Reading oral histories is a great way to get a front seat on historical events.

And students can also be a part of recording history. The process of writing an oral history is:

1. Choose a person to interview.
2. Make a list of interview questions.
3. Record the interview on a cassette tape.
4. Play the tape slowly and type in what is said word for word in a play format, so it is easily understood who said what.
5. Where parts of the interview are unclear, ask interviewee followup questions.
6. Edit oral history, so it is clear and readable.

Writing an oral history can be overwhelming for one person. To make this activity possible for students, you can do the following:

• Have students work in groups
• Limit the number of questions asked and/or the amount of time spent interviewing

This could be a great activity for:

• Black History Month - interview someone who lived through the Civil Rights Movement
• Veteran's Day - interview a veteran of a war
• Local History - interview an individual who lived through important local events
• Career Day - interview someone who was/is important in a particular field
• Biography - interview a person about events in his/her life
  

Slam Poetry

Poetry Unit need a little energy? How about having a slam poetry competition? Slam Poetry is more than just reading a poem straight. It's performance.

For more info on Slam Poetry including rules, check out the following:

Slam Poetry (wikipedia)
Slams make poetry less like English class and more like a sporting event (ACF Newsource)
Poetry Slam Incorporated
Hey You! C'Mere! A Poetry Slam by Elizabeth Swados

Creative Writing - Mad Lib Style

I've enjoyed Mad Libs since I was a kid. They are a fun way to review grammar and a silly way to pass the time. (I just found out that there are Mad Libs on the web which you might want to check out.)

This is a Mad Libesque idea for a creative journal writing assignment. Ask the class for 1 adjective, 2 nouns, and 1 verb. Then, using the words supplied, write a sentence on the board like the following: The ADJECTIVE NOUN1 VERBs the NOUN2 . (Sometimes "The ADJECTIVE NOUN1 VERBS with the NOUN2" might work better. Just use all the words provided in some sort of sentence, adding as many words as you need.)

Examples:

• The dizzy squirrel dances with the window blinds.
• The serious clock sneezes when it sees a notebook.
• The green pizza says, "Zits!"
• The lucky stapler races a toenail.
  

Ask students to write a story that incorporates the sentence the class created. And be prepared for something silly.

More Jeopardy Ideas

Here are some category ideas for a Language Arts/English Jeopardy Game.

• For a book you are studying: characters, plot details, literary devices, vocabulary, figurative languge, about the author
• For a newspaper unit: parts of the paper, types of leads, types of stories, history of newspapers
• For a poetry unit: name that poet, name that poem, poetry forms, figurative language, name that tone, name that meter
• For a general review: vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, parts of speech, literary devices, fact or opinion
  

Jeopardy Test Review

Playing Jeopardy can be a fun way to review before a test.

You can create a Jeopardy board by doing the following:

1. Attach old-fashioned library check out card pockets in a 3 x 3 or 3 x 4 grid (depending on the number of categories you are using) to a posterboard. If you don't have ready-made pockets, you can make pockets by gluing index cards horizontally on three sides, so the top is open. Leave extra space at the top of the board.
   
2. To make the board re-usable, write category titles on large Post-it notes and stick them above each category.
3. Write 100 on the top row of pockets, 200 on the second row, and 300 on the bottom row.
4. Write questions on index cards, based on the unit you are teaching. I created multiple-choice questions for the 100-level, true or false questions for 200-level, and fill-in-the-blank questions for the 300-level. Usually 3 questions per pocket were enough. (I used a different color index card for each category, then wrote big 100s, 200s, or 300s on the front of the cards. This made it fast and easy to replace the cards in the pockets after one class ended and before the next began.)
   
5. Write a final Jeopardy question. (You can place this in another pocket on the bottom of your posterboard.)

To play the game in class, attach your posterboard to the wall. Divide students into teams of around four people each. Ask each team to pick a spokesperson who will give answers for the team. Rotate around the room, giving teams a chance to pick and answer a question one by one. You can keep score on a blank transparency on the overhead projector. (Hint: To keep behavior in check, announce point deductions for such things as 1) calling out answers or talking when it's another team's turn and 2) speaking out when you are not the official team spokesperson.) When an equal number of questions have been guessed by each team, hand out a piece of paper to each team with that team's name on it. Ask teams to write their bets on the other side of the piece of paper based on the number of points they have earned. Collect papers. Ask teams to give their answers. Tally the final scores based on bets.

If you want to save yourself some work and give students a different type of learning experience, you can have the students create the questions. Then use one class' questions to quiz the other class.

When My Name Was Keoko

I recommend the following book for personal reading as well as assigned class reading. I found the story interesting, exciting, and informative. The book could be used in units including one or more of the following topics: Korea, Japan, Asia, World War II, war, identity, and family.

When My Name Was Keoko follows a Korean family living under Japanese occupation during the years 1940-1945. Koreans were forced to change their names to Japanese names, dig up their national tree, refrain from speaking or writing in Korean, and give up any of their possessions needed for the war effort. Each member of the Kim family discovers his or her own way to fight back against the Japanese, so they can be free again.

The story is told in first person , alternating between the points of view of ten-year-old Sun-hee and thirteen-year-old Tae-yul.

The author, Linda Sue Park, did a substantial amount of research before writing this book, interviewing family members and reading historical books.

Letters of the Century

Letters of the Century: America 1900-1999 contains over 400 personal glimpses into life in the United States in the 20th century. Some authors are famous people such as Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King Jr, Elvis, Groucho Marx, Jacqueline Kennedy, Orville Wright, Georgia O'Keefe, O.J. Simpson, Robert Frost, John Steinbeck, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Magic Johnson, and Harry Houdini. Other writers are regular people discussing topics such as war, civil rights, health benefits, drug abuse, daily struggles, and the internet.

Social studies teachers could use these first-hand accounts to make history personal and alive. In a Language Arts class, letters could be read as essays or for author background information. Since the editors (Lisa Grunwald and Stephen J. Adler) have included letters from historical figures in science, art, and other areas, select letters could be used in virtually any classroom.

If You Swallow a Watermelon Seed...

Here's a creative, tall tale writing assignment that students might enjoy.

Most kids have heard scary, persuasive stories to encourage them not to swallow watermelon seeds, not to walk around outside without shoes, not to eat spoonfuls of sugar. (My mother told me that if I ate too much sugar, worms would grow in my stomach. Scary stuff, but I tested her theory anyway.)

Ask students to make up their own tall tales to save younger kids from their bad habits or to encourage younger kids to do something good. They can begin with starter statements like the following:

• Always wash behind your ears, because if you don’t…
• Don’t sit too close to the TV, because if you do…
• Never swallow a fingernail, because if you do…
  

Free Newspapers

Did you know that many local newspapers will deliver free papers to your classroom?

The program is called NIE, or Newspapers in Education. In addition to receiving free papers once a week, the following may be offered: lesson plans or ideas, classroom activities, guest speakers, and tours.

I took advantage of this program when I was teaching. My students really enjoyed the speaker that the newspaper sent. He described to us how newspapers are created in such an interesting way that my kids wanted to visit the plant.

The newpaper provided excellent NIE inserts. I remember a wonderful February booklet of African-American poetry with discussion questions and activities. I used that insert a lot at the time (and I will use it when I teach again).

To participate in NIE, you just need to contact your local paper to see if they have a program in place.

For general newspaper activities and information, check out NIEonline.com.

The Sixth Sense

Kids have the sixth sense. You may think that you have your students fooled. You have put on a stern facade, and you think they believe it.

I thought the same thing when I was teaching. I will never forget the day that I was so frustrated with my class's poor behavior that I began to lose my temper. At that moment, I heard a boy tell the other students, "She isn't pretending this time. She's really mad." And I realized they could see through me.

I might as well be myself, because "acting" wasn't going to work. I had to be confident, not act as if I were confident. I had to be caring, not act as if I were caring. I had to be in charge, not act as if I were in charge.

Actions may speak louder than words, but beyond the actions there is something even louder that students are attuned to: the veracity of those actions.

Ads From the Past

Teaching a unit on advertising?

Scanned magazine and newspaper advertisents, published between the years 1911 and 1955, are available online through Duke University's Ad*Access Project at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/.

The collection includes World War II advertisements which could be useful in a social studies unit too.

Vocab Drills

I had a wonderful high school English teacher who had a different approach to teaching vocabulary. Each Monday she would introduce the list of ten new words, and we would create a short one or two word definition for each. Then we would shout out our definitions in vocab drills.

The teacher would call out a vocabulary word like a drill sergeant and in unison we would respond with the appropriate, shortened definition. Vocab drills were held at the beginning of class every day. By mid-week, the teacher would start calling on us individually for definitions--especially if some of us looked like we weren't participating in the drill. Quiz day was Friday.

Even today, there are certain words that I come across that arouse an urge to call out the definition I learned in my high school drills.

Fact vs. Opinion

The difference between Fact and Opinion is tested on the state-wide tests in North Carolina. I prepared using sample tests and worksheets, but my class seemed to enjoy the following Fact and Opinion activity the most.

I cut up strips of colorful paper and handed 4 strips to each student. They were asked to write facts on 2 of the strips and opinions on the other 2 strips. The only rule was that the facts and opinions could not be about any people in the school.

When students were finished, I collected the strips. I explained that facts could be verified somewhere; they could be looked up somewhere or tested. Opinions were a personal view that couldn't be checked anywhere.

Then I read the strips of paper out loud one by one. As a class, we decided if they were facts or opinions. We discussed if a person could check the statement and how he or she might check it.

Before class, I had divided a bulletin board into 2 parts. One side was labeled "Facts." The other side was labeled "Opinions." Once the class determined if a statement was a fact or an opinion, I stapled that strip of paper to the appropriate side of the board.

Each class, throughout the day, added to the bulletin board. (I covered the board--or removed the statements--at the end of each class period, so the next class wouldn't be influenced by what was already there when beginning the exercise.) At the end of the day, we had a colorfully decorated bulletin board, a constant reminder of the difference between fact and opinion--which the students were invested in, because they had contributed to the display.

On following days, my kids would read over many of the statements at the beginning of class, pointing out which ones they had written, which opinions they agreed with, which ones they thought their friends might have written. A nice reinforcement initiated by my students on their own.

Organizing

I always thought I was an organized person--until I became a teacher. Suddenly my piles of papers and colorful post-it notes became cumbersome and time-consuming to shuffle through. I would love to say that I found a solution and became highly organized while teaching, but that wouldn't be true. The closest I came to being organized was using small notebooks, one after the other, (with a liberal number of colorful post-its) to keep track of everything I needed to remember. Then I would leaf through the notebooks in search of whatever I needed.

After a challenging first year teaching, I took time off, and my new supervisor let me in on her organizing secret: the Franklin-Covey planner. What makes the planner different than my series of little notebooks is: 1) it's a binder, so pages can be added in-between other pages; 2) for each day the left-hand side has a to-do list and appointment space; 3) the right hand side has space for notes; 4) there are monthly calendars and planning calendars, an address book, and a finace section; 5) there are five sections for project planning and/or committee notes; 6) each month of notes has an index page.

That last feature is what has saved me the most time. Instead of leafing through many, many notebooks, I refer to monthly index pages that point me to the day I made the note I am looking for. (This could even be made even more useful by creating an index for each school year or each semester.)

You could create the same sort of organization within one of the small notebooks I used to use--or even better a small binder. It's up to you. It's possible to recreate many of the features.

For more information on Franklin-Covey planners, visit http://www.franklincovey.com/

Logo Designer

The Don't Drink Bees logo was designed by the extremely talented Sara Bost.

Creative Auto/biographies

Thinking about having your students read biographies for a social studies or language arts assignment? Or maybe have them write their autobiographies?

Here are a couple of "alternative" auto/biographies that were written "outside the box."

Spiegelman, Art. Maus I and Maus II. New York: Pantheon Books, 1992.
Biography (with autobiographical elements) written as a Graphic Novel. Spiegelman writes about his father’s experience as a Polish Jew during Hitler’s reign and also shows how he lives today.

A graphic novel may appeal to reluctant readers.

Also, when I was student teaching, I showed a variety of alternative auto/biographies to students and told them they could write their own autobiographies in any of the formats they saw. A reluctant writer was very excited to write a graphic novel of his life. Alternate formats can be a challenge to grade, but the enthusiasm they give students makes the challenge worthwhile.

Momaday, N. Scott. The Way to Rainy Mountain. New York: Harper & Row, 1968.
Autobiography written by a Native American (Kiowa) man. He weaves tribal history and tribal stories in with his own life stories.

Each section of this autobiography is written in 3 parts all on the same topic: tribal history, a tribal story, then Momaday's own personal story. Imitating this format could be a challenge for advanced students or an interesting activity for the entire class to participate in.

Also, kids interested in history--Native American history in particular--may enjoy reading this unusual autobiography.

Defending the Big Bad Wolf

When I was in 5th grade, my English teacher asked us to write a fairytale from the villain's point of view. I wrote the story of Snow White's misunderstood stepmother who just didn't have a clue when it came to choosing gifts. She unintentionally bought poisonous presents which only led to her feelings of inadequacy as a stepmother. I really enjoyed this creative writing project.

And it can easily be turned into a persuasive writing project. As a teacher, I had my 6th graders break into law firms (groups). Each firm had to write a defense statement for its client: a fairytale villian. They had to refute the "story evidence," making a minimum of three arguments to support their client's innocence.

I was fortunate to be working at a magnet school that focused on law, so the kids had an actual courtroom to make their presentations in. The class had a lot of fun and dressed for the part in "lawyer attire." (Some even brought briefcases.)

While one group presented, the other students acted as members of the jury and voted "guilty" or "not guilty." A not guilty verdict was part of the presentation section of the rubric, so the entire class participated in grading. I, the judge, graded the written statement.

Taming of the Shrew?

Hollywood offers some interesting versions of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.

Kiss Me Kate is a 1953 musical that frankly I haven't seen in a number of years. I am not sure how today's audiences would relate to it.

10 Things I Hate About You is more recent and definitely something today's teens can relate to. (Actors include Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger.) Unfortunately it is PG-13 "for crude sex-related humor and dialogue, alcohol and drug-related scenes, all involving teens." Though Shakespeare might not be offended by the bawdy humor, today's parents very well might. So showing this film in the classroom would probably require some sort of signed permission slip. Or there might be a possibility of purchasing one of those "sanitized for the classroom versions." (If I come across a distributor, I'll post it.)

Moonlighting (one of my favorite shows of all time) had an episode during its third season entitled "Atomic Shakespeare." It is an updated, non-sexist version which is very entertaining to watch. The humor remains bawdy, however, it is suitable for television, so there shouldn't be any problems showing this episode in class. (Students may enjoying seeing Bruce Willis back when he had hair.) And Season 3 is now out on DVD.