http://middleschoolmonkeys.com Welcome to the jungle called Middle School. Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:18:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en While reading my feeds this morning, I enjoyed (as usual) Mr. McGuire's post on The Reading Workshop about needing more "head nodders" in his class to help him assess whether the kids "got it" or not. In my comment to his post, I expressed my opinion about how we expect so ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/11/16/head-nodders-and-engagement/ I requested a reviewer's copy of this book from The Picnic Basket not only because I thought it would be of interest for my students, but I wanted to read it myself! Since I prefer YA fiction to adult fiction, this was a great read!I enjoyed the pop culture references and modern ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/10/13/book-review-fabulous-terrible-by-sophie-talbot/ Now - back to our book study! Overview of this chapter: (Warning - this is long. Grab a glass of wine, your book and enjoy!) 1. Begin with the end in mind (p.21) - design the summative assessment before you begin teaching the unit and give it to the students to try before you ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/09/14/fair-isnt-alway-equal-ch3/ Way back in the spring when the whole "Homophobia is Gay T-shirt Fiasco" took place at our school, I wrote about my experiences in the post "Did I Really Write That?". It detailed my adventure with the local newspaper and their editorial page and how they were "edit-happy" with my ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/09/13/did-i-really-write-that-the-sequel/ Hey everyone, I have been so busy getting my students' blogs up and running (as well as all of the other fun that comes with the beginning of the year!) that I have decided to put the book study on hold until next week. Chapter 3 synopsis and questions coming your way ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/09/10/book-study-on-pause/ The chapter opened with some examples of mastery vs automaticity. This really got me thinking about a program that I was very passionate about in my old school. When I taught math, I sometimes experienced opposition from colleagues and parents who disagreed that basic math facts needed to be "mastered" in order to succeed ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/08/24/fair-isnt-always-equal-ch2-mastery/ Ch.1- The DI Rationale and Definition   I needed this review! Sometimes we forget that we are doing things automatically that can be called "DI" but we just think they are good teaching. I appreciated the reminder that DI is not individualized instruction, though it may happen from time to time.    Ideas for ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/08/20/fair-isnt-always-equal-chapter-1/ Hey, I'm back from holidays and ready to talk all things education! (Of course, if you want to talk trashy tv be sure to check out my blog about that!) The good folks at The Literacy Workshop  are helping me coordinate this book chat and I will compile the posts in ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/08/10/book-chat-fair-isnt-always-equal-by-rick-wormeli/ I just about shidoobied in my jeans when I read NYC Educator's post this afternoon about Michael Savage's declaration that autism is a racket to garner more welfare money.  Is this guy for real? Repeat after me - "Everyone has a right to their opinion. I do not have to agree with them." ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/07/23/this-just-in-autism-is-fake-and-the-easter-bunny-is-real/ Hey everyone, I am starting another (I know I am a nonfiction/PD geek!) educational book and this time I thought it would be cool if some fellow teachers wanted to study it with me! I have put it out on a few chatboard/listservs that I follow and I am going to ... http://middleschoolmonkeys.com/2008/07/11/summer-book-study-fair-isnt-always-equal/