Reading Comprehension and the High School Student

Does anyone know how to teach reading comprehension.  I'm sure I was taught it when I was in elementary school because I comprehend my reading now; but I have no idea how to teach it to someone else.  Maybe an elementary teacher out there could help me out.  After years of testing modifications, I am convinced that the true problem is comprehending the questions.  When I read a question out loud, they usually know the answer.

Any ideas?  Anyone? Anyone?  Bueller?

Using a Discussion Board

Our school is encouraging the use of discussion boards, so I modified one of the things I usually do.

Every year, we have an in class debate in chemistry over the use of nuclear power.  I assign them to the pro or con side without regard to the opinion they actually hold because it is so early in the year.  This year, I made a discussion board for them to participate in for a week after the debate.  It enabled the "more advanced" class to keep the arguments they had been making in class going.  It enabled everyone to argue from their real opinion rather than the one I had assigned them.  

I read the forum this morning, and for the most part, it was great.  Just like always, you have a few who do as little as possible; but the ones who got into it really made some good points.  Two kids who had to be cajoled to speak during the in class debate contributed to the discussion board rather intellegently twice.  I'm considering if there are other current events or controversial scientific topics that I can use this with.  

The one other time I have used this feature is to respond to videos we watch in class.

Some Resources

This is a short post.  I was googling for a way to make timelines and came across a couple of great compilations of tech tools.  I am bookmarking these two sites so I don't have to look for tools every time I need one.

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Organiser+Tools

http://edjudo.com/web-2-0-teaching-tools-links#anchor18

I'm sure there are others.  Feel free to share.

Beginning the Year

One of our recent graduates was here last week while teachers were setting up their rooms.  She said, "It's always a mystery what you guys do the week before we get here."  You always knew your teachers came a week before you did and stayed a week after, but you probably never thought much about what that week looked like.  I'll try to de-mystify it.

First, we decorate our rooms.  I come early to do this, but others manage to fit it into the minutes between meetings.  We are going to look at these walls more than we look at the walls of our homes, so we want it to be awesome.  Every teacher has a different take on it, and it is fun to think about what the walls of a teacher's room say about that teacher.

Second, we attend meetings.  There are meetings about the handbook, meetings about new initiatives, training meetings, new teacher meetings, meetings about the required reading you had over the summer, insurance meetings, 401(k) meetings, department meetings.  You get the idea.

Third, we eat lunch.  Teachers don't get to see each other very often during the day.  Whatever delusions you may have about the "teacher's lounge," put them out of your head.  During the school year, we have lunch duties and tutoring sessions, so we aren't hanging out in the "lounge" at lunch.  Sometimes, we don't eat our lunch until 4 in the afternoon.  We take that first week and last week as our opportunity share a meal together, so we eat together every day.  We may get to eat lunch together again in December.

Finally, we get ready for the first week of school.  This involves that policy sheet you got from every teacher on the first day of school, getting our grade books set up, setting up mailing lists in e-mail, google docs, whatever learning management system your school uses, classroom management plans, course maps, book assignments, seating charts, plans for make up work, etc.

I know it doesn't sound exciting, but it is one of the best weeks of the year.  I get to see friends I haven't seen in two months.  I get to decorate.  Best of all, I get to start over.  Teaching is the only profession I know of where I can say, "that didn't work last time.  I'll try it differently this time."  I get to do this, and they pay me for it.

Beginning the Blog

This whole blog thing is new for me.  I'm never sure if what I have to say will be valuable to anyone else, hence the name Random Ramblings.  I'm in a school with a one to one MacBook program, and we have been encouraged to share new ideas, so I'm giving it a try.

Let's start with a little about me.  This is my 15th year teaching.  I started in public school, teaching the same subject 7 times a day to freshmen.  Now, I am in a Christian school, where I teach 8th Grade Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Yearbook.  Over the eleven years I have been here, I have also taught Algebra I, 9th Grade Health, 7th Grade Health, and Photography.  I like to think of myself as well rounded, so this has been fun.

Two years ago, we took on the challenge of the one to one MacBook program.  I will refer to this as E4 from now on because it is easier.  E4 stands for "Embrace technology to Engage and Empower students to Excel as lifelong learners."  I was on the committee that wrote that sentence.  It took an hour, so enjoy it.  Because other school are now taking on similar programs, I want to use this blog to share resources, ideas, lesson plans, or games.  Some of them will be more tech based than others because I do believe something still work better old school (yes, the pun was intended).

I do not intend to post daily.  I was never good at keeping a diary.  I will post when I feel I have something valuable to contribute to the blogosphere.