And we with elementary roots know your desktops are cleaner because of it! Lori
----- Original message ----- From: Ashli and Paul Andersen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades. <[email protected]> Date: Friday, 2008, 25 Of January 19:46 Subject: Re: [LIT] Vocab. learning and assessment > I used shaving cream and partners today with my 8th graders. I thought they > would think the idea was too elementary and wouldn't buy it, but they loved > it! They worked with a partner and one partner got their name spelled in > shaving cream (they loved that part!). The other partner said the vocab. > word. if the first partner correctly said the def., than they got to finger > paint the spelling of the word in the shaving cream. I bought 3 cans of 92 > cent shaving cream and it lasted the entire day. There isn't too much deep > thinking here, but they loved it. > > Ashli > > On Jan 24, 2008 7:34 PM, Heather Poland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I agree with Pam. Once they what a non-example is, they get it and I think > > it helps them. My graphic organizer was set up in a similar way to what > > Pam > > described. > > > > However, any vocabulary work like this I do, I do it in class. When I was > > in > > the classroom, I rarely assigned any homework beyond independent reading > > (unless they had to finish a class assignment). That way, I could always > > be > > checking for understanding. So we would do one together and then they > > could > > do one in groups/partners and then maybe on their own - or continue to > > work > > in groups/partners > > > > On Jan 24, 2008 4:40 PM, Pam <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Tena wrote: > > > I noticed Janet Allen uses a lot of "non-examples" the "what it isn't" > > > sort of thing. Short of an exact opposite, I think this would be > > > confusing to some kids. What did you find? > > > > > > > > > Pam writes: > > > No, it's been my experience, once the kids understand a graphic > > > organizer that asks for non-examples and what non-examples are, they > > > are good to go. > > > > > > I tried a form of a frayer model that I adapted from Vocabulary > > > Unplugged. It had the word (with dictionary definition) in the middle > > > connected to 4 boxes. Those 4 boxes asked for: definition in kid's own > > > words, a synonym or example, an illustration, and a non-example. I > > > found this to be effective, but time consuming (last year's group just > > > plain didn't do homework & this year's group isn't much better). The > > > kids' didn't like doing these, but most grudgingly admitted that it > > > really helped them to understand and use the words. So, it was a battle > > > to get them to do, but worth the effort. If anything, my kids last year > > > struggled more with the illustration than the non-example as many of > > > our words weren't nouns. > > > > > > I did find that I had to really hold their hands with the first 5 > > > (regular ed) and probably 15 (ese/ELL). It really helped them to have > > > an example of a completed one to review too. > > > > > > > > > :o) Pam/6th gr./FL > > > An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how > > > much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do > > > know and what you don't. > > > Anatole France (1844 - 1924) > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________________ > > > More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - > > > http://webmail.aol.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > > > > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > - Heather > > > > "The world of books is the most remarkable creation of > > man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments > > fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; > > new races build others. But in the world of books are > > volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet > > live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were > > written, still telling men's hearts of the hearts of men > > centuries dead." --Clarence Day > > > > "While the rhetoric is highly effective, remarkably little > > good evidence exists that there's any educational substance > > behind the accountability and testing movement." > > Peter Sacks, Standardized Minds > > > > "When our children fail competency tests the schools lose > > funding. When our missiles fail tests, we increase > > funding. " > > Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate > > _______________________________________________ > > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive > _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
