Using Higher Level Vocabulary in Math

We all know that in order for students to be as successful as possible, we need to be using higher level and academic vocabulary in our classrooms on a constant basis. I want to be perfectly honest here. I think that math-minded people, those that went to college just to study math, have an easier time with this. I was not such a person. I majored in education, and even though I was always really good at math, using higher level vocabulary was tough for me. I had to teach myself to develop very purposeful and strategic ways to make sure it was occurring often in my classroom.

One of these ways was to make sure I was using very precise academic vocabulary in my lesson planning. By thinking about it well in advance, I could prepare my mind to use the correct terminology. This made it easier for me to remember to use higher level vocabulary when my actual lesson was taking place.

Another way was using higher level and academic vocab in all of my anchor charts. I had all of my anchor charts hung up on the walls once we learned about the concept. They were laminated for use year after year. By having them always hanging on the wall, it enables the students to also be reminded about the correct terminology when they need a little assistance. Plus, it adds just that much more support for student higher level thinking.

Lastly, I always tried to keep up with a word wall. This one was probably the one I kept up with the least. It got tough to maintain constantly adding to it as the school year got busy. If I could go back and redo, I would definitely have a word wall setup like this one from Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher. This one can be done all in advance and easily changed out to fit the current lesson.

Not sure where to start? Pinterest it!! There are so many amazing ways to accomplish each of the above on Pinterest that you will surely find one that fits your needs.

Keeping Up with Multiple Preps

The dreaded multiple prep. If you are lucky in the secondary world, you will only have 1 subject area to have to prepare for every day. However, there seems to be a whole lot of us that have 2+ preps that we teach. Having multiple preps can make it very difficult to get everything accomplished in a timely manner. A big part of this is just being ORGANIZED. If you are not organized, then something will inevitably slip though the cracks. Below are a few ways that I keep organized myself when having multiple preps.

One of the biggest for me is having everything typed up in a spreadsheet. It is not the full lesson plan, but a general overview so that I can thought process and remember what I need to do at a quick glance for each class. This helps me stay focused on where I am going as the day progresses. It also make changes a breeze. And, as cute as all of the lesson planners are out there, most do not give me enough space to thought process as fully as I could like. By having it digitally saved, then I can use as much room as I need. An example of what a day might look like with multiple preps is found below.

Another great way to stay organized is to keep a daily list of schedule changes or to-do's. This planner is from Blue Sky and it is hands-down my favorite. I can plan out what I need to accomplish for classes for each day as well as any schedule changes I need to be made aware of. This lets me focus a day at a time and not get completely overwhelmed with everything that needs to be accomplished before I leave on Friday.

Lastly, I keep a binder with my full lesson plans in it. As much as I love online lesson planning websites, there are times when I do not have the ability to look up each class to remember the small details within the 5 minute passing period. By printing each lesson plan out and having a copy at my fingertips by keeping them in a binder on my desk, I can be better prepared for each class in case an emergency arises. It also lets any administrator that walks in to quickly see what this class is doing today.

Do you have any strategies that help you stay organized with multiple preps? If so, please share them below so that others can find new ways to help out their own classroom.

Yikes! I Need a Sub! 10 Essentials for your Sub Plan

Choose the "best" answer

1.  You've been up all night
     A.  battling a stomach bug
     B.  comforting a sick child
     C.  petting a neurotic dog during a thunderstorm
     D.  talking your sister down from her latest break up
     E.  all of the above

Yup.  You're gonna need a sub.  Should be easy.  Should be a no-brainer.  But it never is!  How many teachers have you heard say, "It's easier to come to school sick than to plan for a sub"?

Put Down the Glitter Glue

Why is it always so much fun to do anything else besides creating sub plans. You've probably seen the cute "Sub Tubs" on Pinterest.  Am I the only one who would rather decorate the sub tub rather than fill it? 

But this is the time of year to create, plan, amass and finally conquer your sub plans!  You will be so, so happy in a few months when you need them.  But where to get started?

The Essentials for Sub Plans

1.  Make it easy.  Anyone who has had to rely on a long-term sub will tell you that the primary goal of having a sub is keeping her happy!!  It is wonderful to have a sub who loves to teach your classes.  Make your sub's job easier.  

• Provide crystal clear directions.  Your sub may not be an experienced teacher.  Keep that in mind.
• Make sure you provide the sub with everything he or she will need.  Make all the copies, have the teacher key, provide directions for teaching.
• Have your class schedule, class lists, and seating chart clearly labled and available.
• Put all your sub stuff in a binder or folder (or hey, go ahead and make a cute sub tub of your own!).  Make sure it is easy to find.  

2.  Make it clear.  What do you want the sub to do?  Your sub probably won't be able to follow your lesson plans.  Especially if they are as cryptic as mine are!

But if you do want your sub to continue with your plans (an you have time to plan ahead), try "blowing them up." I do this by breaking them down step by step.  I don't include objectives, but I make it clear by using a numbered list.  

If you're in love with checklists like I am (you can read my post about how I use them), provide a checklist next to your plans so the sub can mark what is and isn't completed.  Or use this "What Happened Today" chart. Find it here for free:  "What Happened Today" note from the Sub

Freebie available on my TPT store!

3.  Make it meaningful.    There's a good chance that you don't want your sub to try to continue with the lessons you are currently working on.  If that's the case, consider:  

• using "evergreen" content that your students need extra practice with.  This is an ideal time for them to get in some extra practice using quotation marks, capitalization, or using sentence variety.  The beauty of evergreen content is that it can be used all year -- it's not seasonal.  
• digging around in the supplemental materials that your textbook provides.  
• scouring that bookshelf full of resources. 
• pulling out those task cards! 
• putting those learning games in your closet to use.
• rejecting "busy work"!

4.  Make it count.  If you tie the work the students are completing to an assessment, will they work harder on it? This is the ultimate, "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there, does it make a sound" question!  

Do collect and assess what students do with the sub.  Value the sub and students' work.

5.  Use the clock.  Help your sub by providing a timeline.  Again, if your sub isn't a seasoned teacher, he or she may have no idea how much time students should devote to different activities.  Provide an estimate.  For example, how long should the sub allot for journaling, independent reading, or group work?

6.  Change it up.  You probably have your students moving around during class.  They may move in and out of small groups, work with a partner, or turn and talk.  Be sure to include that in your sub plans.  Your students do not have to work in "monk-like silence" (a phrase a fellow teacher likes to use!) when you aren't at school.  If your sub will be following your plans, be sure to build in opportunities for students to talk.  

7.  Plan ahead.  One year, the administration wanted teachers to have two weeks of emergency plans. Whoa!  That was a bit much, but once I created those plans, I reused them for several years!  I don't know if you need two weeks of plans, but having at least one week will give you peace of mind.  

8.  Establishing Routines Helps Everyone.  Your sub will love you forever if you train your students.  How do you quiet your class?  What do students do when they first walk into your class?  How do you dismiss?  Collect papers?  Be sure to let your sub know the routines that you've taught your students. 

I don't know why students feel like they get a free pass to do anything they want when a sub walks in the door, but having firm routines will help.  

9.  No study halls, please!  A sub's job is difficult enough.  You know how hard monitoring study hall can be.  Sure, some kids will love it, but for others, it is play time.  Respect the sub (and your students!) enough to provide meaningful work for the students.

10.  Want more bells and whistles?  My friend tucks a Starbucks gift card into her sub plans as a little extra way to say "thank you."  We all know how difficult the job of a sub can be; there are tons of ideas for adding a special treat for a sub, but making sure you say "thank you" will go a long way!

Get 'er Done!  

Carve out a bit of time soon to put together your sub plans. Remember that the ultimate goal is to make your time away from the classroom restful and less stressful!  Knowing that your class will be taken care of while you're gone will be the best medicine of all!  

Here's to a healthy school year!

Happiness always♥

Write a Sonnet to Celebrate 400 Years of Shakespeare!

This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.  His first folio is on a 50-state tour in the United States.  Perhaps you will be able to see the exhibit in a town near you.

The folios, published in 1623, are credited with preserving 36 of Shakespeare's plays.  Of those plays, eighteen had never been published before.  Can you imagine our world without Macbeth or Julius Caesar?

But even if the first folio tour doesn't get you charged up, you can't deny the influence Shakespeare has had on the English language.  Read (and share with your students) Bernard Levin's clever "On Quoting Shakespeare" essay.  Or think about the movies (West Side Story anyone?) that adapt plots from Shakespeare's plays -- plots that we still find riveting 400 years later.  

While studying an entire play can be challenging and require more time that you may have available, you can introduce your students to Shakespeare through his sonnets.  He wrote 154 of them.  The language of the sonnets can be intimidating to students, but by using some basic poetry analysis tools, your students will be able to understand the content of the sonnet.  Not only that, so many of Shakespeare's sonnets are completely relatable to teens.  The agony and loneliness of Sonnets 29 and 30 could be written by a teen, and Sonnet 18 is beautiful!

Tools for Reading a Sonnet

1. Read it out loud.  Students will often struggle with the language, but if they are just listening for meaning, they can often get the big ideas rather than get hung up on details.

2.  Vocabulary.  Make sure your students have a clear understanding of any new vocabulary in the sonnet.

3.  Paraphrase.  This is the golden key to helping students understand poetry.  Ask them to "translate" the poem line by line, but also to connect what is happening throughout the sonnet.  Each line is linked to the next since the sonnet is building an "argument."

4.  Let your students figure out the form.  Rather than telling them, allow students to discover how the sonnet is put together.  Students should be able to identify the rhyme scheme (three quatrains and a couplet).  They may have more trouble with the meter, but that's where clapping out the accented syllables will help.  I wouldn't fret too much about making sure they can scan a poem or identify iambic pentameter.  The idea is to help students notice the rhythm of the language.

5.  Keep asking students to tell you what they notice -- you will find that they can not only understand the meaning of the poem, they will be able to figure out how it is constructed.  The one thing I did not allow my students to say was, "I don't get it"  because that means they've given up trying!

6.  Don't forget the turn.  The end of the sonnet is like a punchline.  What is the message, epiphany, resolution?  

Tools for Writing a Sonnet

1.  Choose a simple topic.  Any topic can be used -- adopting a pet, last Saturday's soccer game, my messy closet, what's in your lunchbox...help students choose a topic that has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

2.  Work backwards.  Once students understand the format of a sonnet, they can write their sonnet "backwards" by beginning with the end rhyme in mind.  This allows students to stop obsessing about what rhymes with "orange" and focus on what they want their sonnet to be about.

3.  Try for the turn.  The ending of the poem should resolve an issue or share an epiphany.  What do you want your reader to learn or understand after reading this sonnet?  

4.  Relax.  It's a sonnet! Writing one is a bit like doing a sudoku puzzle or completing a crossword puzzle.  Some of your students will really enjoy the challenge, and other won't.  But challenging students to write a sonnet is something they may never have the opportunity to try again!  You can be the teacher who introduced your students to a completely new form of literature!!  

You can tell by now, that I love sonnets (and all poetry, but that's the topic for another blog post!). I just hope that I've encouraged you to share a sonnet, and William Shakespeare, with your students!  There is still time to plan a party !  April 23 is his recognized birthday since there are only baptismal records and no birth certificates.  (Interestingly enough, it is also the date of his death.)

If you're looking for more detailed help, you can check out Sonnet 29 on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   It will guide you every step of the way!

Enjoy sharing great literature and challenging writing experiences with your students!

Happiness always,