Celebrate Diversity

Mrs Davis celebrates diversity in her classrooms and in her community

I am proud to have stood with about 100 people on August 13th who were opposed to the white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Virginia (and organizing anywhere else in the US).

Often I feel powerless against the threat directed at so many Americans who are marginalized. I was able to do this small thing today to show my students and their families, my colleagues and community members, that I support a diverse America.

In my classroom this week, my students are having collaborative discussions about Hate Speech. We are reading this article, formulating thoughtful questions, and using sentence frames to practice good speaking and listening skills. 

Collaboration is a required 8th-grade standard (see the standards below). It is also a skill that can bring people together, speaking and listening in a civilized manner. 

"Learning in Hand" is an educator's resource for mobile and digital learning. According to that website, "Working effectively with others is an extremely complex endeavor. Collaboration skills are complicated to learn because they are actually people skills. Learning these skills takes guided practice and quality feedback. Teachers shouldn't expect their students to work together effectively without explicitly teaching and modeling collaboration skills."

These skills include:

• Active listening
• Respect
• Manners
• Positive Attitude
• Focused
• Social Awareness

Please ask your children about the strategies they are learning in order to have collaborative discussions. This is the first of many such activities. 

We are on our way to an amazing school year where we learn from one another in remarkable ways!

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STANDARDS

Comprehension and Collaboration:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2
Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

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GUEST BLOGGER

Two Truths and a Lie

1.When I was twelve, I met three celebrities in that one year. One was Samuel L. Jackson, another was Justin Bieber, and the last one was Adam Sandler. I met Justin Bieber in Hollywoodod. I met Samuel in New York, and I met Adam Sandler in San Francisco.

2. One of my favorite types of dance is break dance. When I was seven I went to Las Vegas to watch the Jabbawockeez. They do break dance and stunts. After the show I got to meet them and take pictures. They all signed my Jabbawockeez mask. We weren’t invited to meet them, but my dad asked.

3. My favorite sport to play and watch is basketball. I have been playing basketball since I was nine. I was on a traveling basketball team in Roseville. My favorite basketball team is the Warriors. One time I went to the Warriors game with my parents we got to sit courtside. After the game we were able to be five feet away from Stephen Curry. We recorded the game at home and I was on television.

Which is the lie?

Kaden B

Eclipse on the First Day of School!

Welcome back to school, students!

Just so you know how cool it is to attend our school, 

we have scheduled something 

really special

for the first day of school.

Not only do we have a minimum day 

(school gets out at 12:06),

but we also have a solar eclipse scheduled 

in the middle of the school day!

Even NASA has gotten in on the action. 

Read what they have to say about the eclipse here.

Wear your special eclipse glasses to avoid permanent damage to your eyes.

This is important!

The school will supply them; 

you have to follow the directions.

This photo comes from a site that sells these glasses.
They also offer safety information. Click here.

It's always important to have a good soundtrack.

Here's an eclipse song from the 90s.

Enjoy!

Setting up for the New School Year

I don't know about you, but I look forward to the beginning of school. 

World Map

Teacher Work Station

Even though I have fun over the summer travelling, sleeping in, reading, and visiting friends and family, I always come back to my classroom earlier than many other teachers. I just can't stay away!

Today, I visited my classroom with two guest helpers.

Ms Jackson

My new resident (student) teacher, Ms Jackson, brings years of theatre experience to my classroom. She is also a great writer with a warm student rapport. Her many hours in my classroom last year as a volunteer make her perfectly suited to work with me and my students this year.

Thank you for your assistance today, Ms Jackson, organizing and preparing for this coming school year.

Josie G

My second helper is a former student, Josie. What a reliable, independent, hard-worker! Josie cleaned and organized for me, so I could look at the calendar and plan some beginning-of-the-year activities. Thanks, Josie!

Eva Jade

Last week, my daughter Eva flopped down on the rug to read on her device. This brought me such joy, as it is my wish that all my students will come in, choose a spot, and nurture their love of reading!

School doesn't officially start until August 21st, but I will surely be in my classroom off and on between now and then. If you know how to find room 303, you are welcome to pop in and say hello. 

Ease into the school year:

Alternative Seating

• Try some of the new seating options in my classroom. 

• Bring a book or magazine to donate to the reading shelf.

• Listen to music with me.

See you soon!

Reading Material

How To Foster Reading At Home

(This post is adapted from a letter written by Jessica Lifshitz. I will be handing it out in class. Follow Jessica's blog to read more about her amazing classroom and teaching.)

Dear Families,

In my classroom, students will NOT be asked to fill out a reading log in order to keep track of their at-home reading. Still, students ARE expected to read outside of school. It is my hope that throughout the course of this school year, all of my students will begin to find ways to make reading a daily part of their lives. I do not believe that filling out a reading log each night or staring at a clock for twenty minutes is the best way for students to become or remain lifelong readers.

How can you help to ensure that your child is reading outside of school? Here are a few ideas:

Create a sacred time during the day or at night where everyone in the house is reading.

*When everyone in the house is reading, students will be more likely to WANT to read. Creating the conditions for reading allows everyone to find more success in their own reading. I know that we are all incredibly busy, but imagine how powerful even 20 minutes of everyone in the house reading could be!

Read WITH your child.

*One of the greatest things about reading is being able to discuss what you are reading with others. By reading the same books/articles/blogs that your child is reading, you can provide your child with opportunities to have the kinds of discussions that will motivate your child to keep on reading. Your family can also turn on subtitles or captions on the tv; numerous international studies have shown a dramatic increase in literacy skills just from this simple act.

Make sure your child sees YOU reading.

*Even when your child is NOT reading, if he or she sees you reading, they will know that reading is something that you take joy in and that you make sure to make time for. This creates the kind of culture of reading that motivates students to find ways to become readers themselves (even outside of school).

Take your child to the library.

*Books are expensive! And kids can go through books quickly. Taking trips to the local library can provide your family with access to incredible reading material and also access to librarians and other resources that can help guide your child towards even more books. We also have helpful and inspiring staff at our school library.

Ask your child about what she/he is reading inside and outside of class.

*The more kids talk about what they are reading, the more they will want to keep reading! Knowing that there are people at home who are interested in what they are reading and what they have to say about that reading, can sometimes be the push that children need to keep on reading. Even if a child is not enjoying a particular book, you can learn a lot about a person as a reader, and they can learn a lot about themselves, by discussing what it is they do not like.

Talk to your child about what you are reading.

*Tell your child about the book/magazine/blog you are reading, but also make sure to tell your child about how you selected what you are reading. Talk about the publications you love and the ones you do not like. Letting your child see that you struggle at times and are still a reader will help your child to see that even if he or she struggles, he or she is still a reader.  

Do not judge what your child is reading as not being “good enough.”

*Sometimes, it is tempting to tell our children that what they are reading is not “real” reading. I believe that all reading has value. In school, we are exposing children to many different types of texts and teaching them the skills they need to navigate through those texts. At home, they need to be able to read what they love (books, magazines, blogs, cereal boxes, recipes, the comics, instructions, manuals… in any language); when they find reading material they love, they will be choosing to read more often.

Help your child to use online resources to locate new reading material that is similar to what she/he has loved in the past.

*Finding good reading material can be the hardest part of being a reader. We are lucky to live in a world that has lots of incredible resources to help people find good matches for them. Most of the books and magazines that I read, come from the online suggestions of others or from lists of good books at goodreads.com.

Throughout the year, we will be working to build a culture of reading and a community of readers inside of our classroom walls. Extending this culture and community outside of the classroom walls can have huge benefits.  

Thanks for your support in helping your child become a lifelong reader.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Davis