Lunch Was Delicious

Marty,

Just wanted to thank you for taking us into your home and feeding us. Love the art, love the dogs, and the food was delicious. I really enjoyed this afternoon (and, besides the mind numbing monotony, the grading sessions overall). It was nice to get together with everybody. Thank your Mom too.

anyone for lunch on me on Wednesday, Jan. 31?

Hello department:
I have a few requests:
#1 -- I am inviting the English department to have lunch at my home on Wednesday, Jan. 31, while we are attending the all-day training session at the school on St. Lawrence st. I just live 2 blocks away. The menu is all planned: Stauffer's vegetable lasagna, garlic toast, root beer, angelfood cake, and coffe.. All are welcome. I'll have my mother help out so we can eat as soon as we arrive (she lives in the upper apartment).

#2 -- In addition to the Teacher's Assessment Book for Grade 9, and 60-65 Grade 10 workbooks, I also need the CD's for grade 9 and grade 10. If anyone has any of these items, I would really appreciate hearing from you. The basement is devoid of all of these items; the only workbooks down there are grade 12. There are about 72 grade 12 workbooks in the basement if anyone needs them.

Thanks,
Marty Doerfel.

Tandberg Distance Learning

Hey dudes, far be it from me to plug the Buffalo Teacher Center, as I've never taken a class there, but I just signed up for a one day three hour workshop to be trained on the giant double TV sets currently used to hold the floor down in the library. I guess the thing offers virtual field trips in addition to distance learning and other things. I'll let you know what I find out. There was a BTRC email in my Lotus notes account.

If anyone else is interested, there are like 8 slots still open.

AP Vertical Team Discussion Post - Pgs. 13-25

Okey dokey, Dukey. We're undertaking the beginning of the literary analysis chapter of the APVTGfE. Remember, we want to try to think about instituting terminology and common methods schoolwide and decide how to introduce and build these skills from 9th - 12th grade.

For comments, suggestions, etc., click on the "comments" link directly underneath this post.

Materials Request

Marty needs the following:

• 60-65 10th grade Interactive Readers. I don't know if we have any more of these. If you know the whereabouts of any, let me know.
  
• the teacher assessment book for the 9th grade McDougall Littell textbooks (orange edition). If anyone has this, let her or I know. She would like to copy something out of there and only will need it for an hour.
  

S.L.A.N.T. (Sit Up, Listen, Ask Questions, Nod, Track the Speaker with your Eyes

Lesley sent this along tonight via an email. It is a method of KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) "a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in under-resourced communities throughout the United States." I think that this could be a good chance to try out the "post comments" section of the blog.


...There was a great NYT magazine article (Nov 26, 2006, link:
http://www.kipp.org/08/pressdetail.cfm?a=291 )
called "What it takes to make a student." In it, Paul Tough visits a
highly successful charter school in inner city NYC where a new
technique
for eliminating CPA is working.


Students at the KIPP charter schools follow a system for learning
invented by the founders, David Levin and Michael Feinberg, called
SLANT. The acronym sums up the appropriate classroom behavior: Sit
up, Listen, Ask questions, Nod and Track the speaker with their
eyes. The following is quoted from Tough's article:


"Levin's contention is that Americans of a certain background learn
these methods for taking in information early on and employ them
instinctively. KIPP students, he says, need to be taught the methods
explicitly. And so it is a little unnerving to stand at the front of
a KIPP class; every eye is on you. When a student speaks, every head
swivels to watch her. To anyone raised in the principles of
progressive education, the uniformity and discipline in KIPP
classrooms can be off-putting. But the kids I spoke to said they use
the Slant method not because they fear they will be punished
otherwise but because it works: it helps them to learn. (They may
also like the feeling of having their classmates' undivided attention
when they ask or answer a question.) When Levin asked the music class
to
demonstrate the opposite of Slanting -- "Give us the normal school
look," he said -- the students, in unison, all started goofing off,
staring into space and slouching. Middle-class Americans know
intuitively that "good behavior" is mostly a game with established
rules; the KIPP students seemed to be experiencing the pleasure of
being let in on a joke."


Levin and Feinberg's SLANT method works on inner-city elementary and
middle school students but what about for college students and
academics? Have we forgotten how to be polite--how to fully focus on a
lecture? Or are standards of "politeness" changing based on the
exploding market for peripheral mobile communication devices? Attend
any academic conference with a wireless network and ask yourself how
many people in the audience are following the discussion 100%.


Closing the laptop lid and trying out the SLANT method might be
educational for us older folk as well as the younger ones.

AP Vertical Team Meeting 1/25 7:30

Before the Meeting: The Vertical Team was to read pages 1-12 of the AP Vertical Team's Guide for English

Minutes: Generally, we discussed different points raised by the AP VTGfE. These included:

• the overall look and feel of our vertical team. We decided to skip the ice breakers, and headed straight to the overall schematics.
  
• the need for gathering information about the incoming freshmen. With a change in curriculum, it is necessary to inquire about the ELA experiences incoming freshmen will be bringing to us in the 2007-2008 school year
• the need to develop common methods and terminology for the various things we do. The guide includes different strategies that support the type of thinking necessary for AP Language & Literature. In the coming months, while reading through the guide, we are planning on isolating strategies which are integral. We will then implement these strategies slowly this year, ultimately planning on wider implementation in 2007-2008.
• the possibility of creating student writing portfolios that follow students throughout their high school careers. These portofolios would be started with next year's incoming class
• the possibility of securing funds to buy AP materials & for training
  

Next Meeting: 2/1/7

Next Meeting Items: Read APVTGfE 13-24 in order to discuss S.I.F.T. method of literary analysis. Discuss schoolwide vertical implementation methods.

Alfred State Writing Camp

If anyone has a student who exhibits an interest in writing, AND has an extra $600 lying around, you may want to recommend the Alfred State Creative Writing Summer Institute.

Annual Harriet Ross Tubman Oratorical Contest

There is a Oratorical contest coming up. If you are interested in leading a student or four, let me know ASAP. We need to forward names of interested students by February 2nd.

Fluency Update

Fluency stats must be completed by Wednesday, February 7th. Remember, at the very least, I need pre and post test results. It would help if could do a quick Excel document and provide the overall averages for each grade level that you teach. Talk to me if this is too large a technological mountain to climb.

Darfur Workshop

Anne sent along an email from Fanny Zanolli about a workshop for English and Social Studies about Darfur. The application thingy is above. Below is the text from the email:

Hi! I'm still part of some listserv opportunities from my former job and sometimes opportunities come across my home email, which I will share with you. Earlier this week, the Holocaust Resource Center sent out over 1000 invitations to area 7th-12th grade English and Social Studies teachers alerting them about a special Teachers Workshop on the genocide that is happening today in Darfur and how to integrate this information into their classrooms. This workshop will be held from 10AM-2PM on Saturday, February 3rd, at Daemen College's Schenck Hall. This invitation is attached below for more specifics.

Please pass this along to others so that we can reach as many people as possible and forgive me if you have already seen this information\.

Lunch is included, and there is no charge.

Sincerely,
Fannie Lynn Zanolli

AP Vertical Team Meeting

The AP Vertical planning team will be meeting Thursday, January 25th at 7:30 am to discuss backmapping the curriculum. So far the team consists of Chambers, Albano, Doerfel, Boquard, and myself. If anyone else wants to get on board, feel free to come.

I am giving you a copy of the College Board publication we will be using as a guide. It is in your mailbox. If you are coming, we are reading up to page 12 for next Thursday. This introductory chapter discusses the usefulness of Pre-AP.

Department Meeting - 7:40 am

We met as a department this morning in Mr. Hughes' room. Issues discussed:

* Blogger - Check the site every couple of days. It'll only take five minutes. We're going to post tons of stuff on here. I'm going to use this as my main way of disseminating department information. If you accept my invitation to join, you can post directly to the site as well. This could be a great tool for discussion. Hopefully, it will help increase dialogue and remove isolation.

* AP Vertical Planning teams - Ms. Doerfel, Mrs. Chambers, Ms. Albano, Mrs. Boquard, and myself have signed on to use the College Board's AP Vertical Planning Guide to help us backmap the curriculum. There are a lot of acronym type analysis methods and rhetorical strategies in that guide that could be implemented across grade levels. If we as a department could start to use the same language when discussing literary analysis, and the same language when discussing composition, I think we could make serious gains with student understanding (and, by extension, test scores). Likewise if we all use similar language in discussing composition and rhetoric. Common language, common goals...giddeyup.

* Barack Obama "What if McKinley Read the Same Book" & Schoolwide Memoir contest - Ms. Albano shared that Gear Up is ordering the Obama books today, so we should have 150 soon. We're going to start the memoir contest now, and this will lead up to the book project. We're creating a blog for the memoir & book thingy...we'll post the address ASAP.

* Regents Practice Task 2 - Back in September, we raised the possibility of doing a sample task 2 essay with all the juniors. The English department would then grade the papers based on the Regents rubric, fill out a rubric, and then give feedback. We could then discuss patterns that we noticed and areas that need strengthening. We're going forward with it. Details to come.

* Fluency - I need fluency stats as soon as possible. I need them by my February lead teacher meeting. I need post test and pre test results (or vice versa). Per Anne, make sure you are addressing fluency.

That's about it. If I remember anything else, I'll post it.

From the Dust We Shall Rise

We experienced a temporary server block because of our association with Blogger, but Erie One Boces was kind enough to remove that block.

ASCD

Gene R. Carter would like to be frank. He's writing me for one reason, and that is because he wants me to join ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). Why me? Because he believes ASCD is only as good as the members it attracts.

* * * * *
Man...how is that for rhetoric? I had to slap myself and shove my wallet back in my pocket. He's voodoo persuasive. Anyhoo...if anyone...snore...would...snore....like...to....join........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...here's the mail from ASCD....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Western New York Writing Project Young Writer's Anthology

The Western New York Writing Project is assembling an anthology of writing from students in Western New York high schools. If you have any interested students, encourage them to send their work along.

Department Meeting Thursday, January 18th

Last week we had to cancel our department meeting as I had to be somewhere else. We need to meet and discuss the following issues:

• AP Vertical Planning - Read the post below on putting together a team to help backmap the curriculum.
• Fluency - We need to assemble stats by February. It is Anne's expectation that each of us are pretesting fluency, employing strategies in our classroom, and giving a post-test to guage overall gains (or losses).
• ELA 11 Practice Exam - Per previous, Mia and others raised the idea of giving a practice ELA task to the juniors and grading them as a department. This would help us get a better sense of where the 11th graders stand, as well helping to norm our collective understanding of the rubric and grading procedures.
• Bloggedy Blog - BLOG...HUH...WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING, SAY IT AGAIN, CHIL' (Seriously...let us discuss some possibilities.)
  

School Accountability Information - ELA

Anne forwarded an email to the lead teachers in each respective building. This email was a clarification from state education about English 11 scores, accountability, and AYP. Previously t the last score that could count towards the school's accountability stats for any given cohort was the first test taken during the student's senior year. In other words, if a student failed the Regents in June of 11th grade and during summer school, then January was their last chance to pass and have this score reflect on our school's AYP accountability stats. If the student were to pass the exam in June of their senior year he or she would graduate, but they would still impact the school stats in a detrimental fashion.

This is no longer the case. If a student fails the 11th grade ELA in June, Aug, and again in January, but passes in June of their senior year, then the last score would now positively impact our school stats. Likewise would any passing component retesting scores.

We'll have to discuss the overall departmental significance of this information the next time we meet. If our stats are to continue to improve, we have to be aware of all the ground rules.

In the Mailbox 01/16/06

Hey folks, today I will play "let me show you what I have in my mailbox."

First of all, the Buffalo News is having an essay contest. Actually looks like an interesting topic, although the prize is a pedestrian $75. Oh well, it's all about the publication. Mention it to your students, if you get the chance. The deadline is March 30th. Here's a scan of the poster sent by the news:

Also, Bedford sent us their 2007 textbook catalogue, along with a flier for The Language of Composition, which looks like it would be a good AP Language book. I know we don't have any fundage, but most companies will provide preview copies, so if you're interested, come on up and take a look. Here's a scan of the table of contents from the catalogue, which, like most catalogue, lists books for sale. Some of these look like they would be promising for AP Language course.

McKinley's Memoir "Contest"

Hello. Hope you've enjoyed your weekend,

We've been talking about having a schoolwide push to have students write a memoir and then assemble the best pieces into an anthology. We were going to do this in conjunction with our "What if McKinley Read the Same Book" Barack Obama project. Now, we haven't received the books from Gear Up yet, and both the Senator's office and Random House publishing declined my request for book donations (Senator underling said taxpayer $ cannot donate books, publisher gave us an offer of a whopping discount (yeah right...$.40 under the price Amazon is offering)).

Anyway, I want to push on with the memoir project. All the cool kids are doing it. I'm posting the handout sheet here, and I'll come around with copies. Push it to your kids. We're going to have announcements for the next few weeks and a few other promotional activities.

Here's the "contest" sheet:

Just Buffalo's The Big Read

Last year, Just Buffalo ran The Big Read program with Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. They provided classroom copies of books to teachers who would teach it in class. It's the whole "What If Everyone Read the Same Book" idea. This year's book is Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

The application appears below. If it isn't big enough, here's a link to the Just Buffalo website, which I've also added to the sidebar for easy access. You'll have to click around to find info about The Big Read.

UB Poetry Contest

UB is having it's fifth annual poetry contest. They actually put together a neat little book and put on a nice reception. One of our students, Nicole V., placed third in 2003. Click below fore more information.

Ayn Rand Contest

Ayn Rand's ghost is still trying to steal your children's souls. Their deadline is April 25th, 2006. In all seriousness, her foundation will give you a free class set of books if you espouse her beliefs...I mean use her book in the classroom. Go to www.aynrand.org for more info.

Gannon University High School Poetry Contest

Gannon University (whose mascot is a overly large, wart hoggish looking creature who continually steals the triforce), is having a high school poetry contest. The deadline is February 1st 2007. Click below for more info.

Polyphony H.S. Literary Magazine

Polyphony High School runs a student run literary magazine. They're looking for contributions from students. Check it out.

Creative Communications, Inc.

Creative Communications Inc. always put on contests. I always thought they were some sort of pyramid-schemish-get-your- child-to-buy-an-anthology-and-possibly-a-coffee-mug type of operation. Maybe they're not, as they are backed by the Better Business Bureau (how alliterative!). Check it out.

Speak Yo Mind!

Ms. Cleary, I believe, is our Speak Yo Mind! liason. See her for more information if you are looking for publishing opportunities for your students.

Berwyn Moore Poetry Contest

The 30th Annual Berwyn Moore High School Poetry Contest is fast approaching. The deadline is February 1st. Click below for more info.

WHLD 1270-AM Radio Show Opportunity

BABJ, WHLD, the Buffalo Association of Black Journalists, and Buffalo State are looking for Buffalo Public School students to work as radio journalists at WHLD 1270. One of our students, a senior named Amber, works there already and interviewed Laura Bush earlier this year. Anyways, it's a good opportunity.

The letter does not say anything about a deadline. It does have a mailing address. A scan of the letter appears below.

Listen to a Life Essay Contest

Ms. Cleary gave me a copy of a contest a while back. The deadline is March 31st. Looks like a pretty cool project, and 10th grade teachers might consider it next year when dealing with the family heritage theme (see book list post).

Claudia Ann Seaman Poetry Award for Young Writers

I just received a letter from the community Foundation of Dutchess County detailing a poetry contest they are having. It's for students in grades 9-12 and the deadline is June 1st. Click on the picture below to enlarge

Book List

Above is the chart that depicts the division and assignment of certain themes to grade levels. The first column is for 9th grade, the second if for 10th grade, third for 11th grade, and the fourth column is 12th grade. (Utopia/Dystopia is supposed to be in the 12th grade column.

We devised these categories based loosely on a combination of the sections of the ML textbook and major themes that we found from other sources and deemed important.

Essentially, we're collecting input. What books do you want on the list for Anne to buy? We are generating a big list, and then we're going to whittle down. As always, if you have ideas, post them in the "Comments" section under this post.

ELA Lead Teachers Meeting - WNED

Here are the major points covered at the ELA Lead Teachers Meeting:

Language! Walk Through
We will have an administrative team doing a walk through on February 14th. They will be specifically looking at Language! classes. Even if you don't teach this course, make sure your proverbial T's are dotted and I's are crossed. I handed out a walk through evaluation sheet a month or so again. If you need another, let me know.

High School Declamation Contest
The district is trying to drum up interest in the declamation contest they have each year. Basically, we need an advisor for our building. This advisor will be paid a 7 hour stipend. Advisors help students find a 4-6 minute speech, and then coach them to effectively deliver it. First there is a schoolwide contest, and the winner of that contest goes against other students from the district. There are other guidelines, and Anne will make them available to us. If you're interested, see me.

Exam Scoring - 8th Grade ELA
On the half day (1/30), we will be reporting to school 86 to be trained for exam scoring. The next day we will score exams. I have been assigned the role of table leader. We will all be at the same table, barring any last minute changes. Tell Brian to bring the Wasabi peas. No Language! students from our school will be taking the exam. (applause)

Book List
We spent a lot of time talking about a book list. I'll do a separate post, because it's quite elaborate.

AP Vertical Mapping

Mrs. B would like us to meet to talk about ways to go about vertically mapping our ELA curriculum to help students prepare for the rigors of the AP curriculum. So, I am looking for interested parties. We would meet before and/or after school and be paid for it. See me for more information, and I'll raise the issue again at our meeting next week.

Teddy Roosevelt Speaking Contest

There is a Theodore Roosevelt Public Speaking Contest again this year. I have information in my room. There are prizes and it is sponsored by the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. Just passing it along.

Welcome!

I need to find a new way to make information accessible. Department memos are sooooooo 1990. First I have to type. Then I have to print. Then I have to copy. Then I have to stuff mailboxes. As if!?

Anyway, I am proposing a department weblog. Here I would be able to post news, minutes, department minutia, etc. As a bonus each of you would have the ability to post department news or notes of your own in a simple, efficient fashion. And, you'd be sure your info got out there.

So, I'm starting it off. I'll be sending each of you an email to join. If you'd like to post, do so. If you just want to read, then that's ok too. Just remember, this is a public document and can be read by anyone who happens upon it.