Clause Cafe

We used the cafe routine last week as we are finishing our unit on clauses. Basically, each group of four to five boys rotates to each of four stations around the room and has a set time limit at each station. I used the four pictures below with the directions next to them, and each group had approximately ten minutes at each station. We used laptops instead of butcher paper for this cafe, and we all agreed that it worked much better because it was easier to read other groups' sentences. At the end, we all rotated to each station to review each group's work and put stickers on sentences we really liked. This routine is one of my favorites because it gives me a great picture of each student's understanding of the concept, and it also shows me how well they are able to collaborate with others.



Your picture is of the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. If you were a witness describing what you saw, what would you say? Write 3 compound sentences. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each clause.



Your picture is of the iPad, a new product released by Apple this year. If you were an iPad, what would you say to convince people that you were an important innovation? Write 3 complex sentences. Mark each clause as dependent or independent. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each sentence.



Your picture is of a woman in Haiti. This picture was taken some time after the recent earthquake. Why is this woman crying? Try to write at least one compound-complex sentence (two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause). Mark your clauses as dependent and independent.



Your picture is of Phil Mickelson, who just won the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. If you were to write a caption for this picture, what would it be? Write 3 creative captions. Use only one independent clause in each caption. Circle the subject and underline the verb in each clause.

Clause Cafe 4.21 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Color, Symbol, Image

We used the CSI routine yesterday to discuss the main character of each of our Literature Circle books. As a Language Arts teacher, this routine appealed to me immediately at PZ because I could see how it would lead to a much more complex analysis of literary characters. Since we are reading four different works of historical fiction, I want the boys to understand enough about each other's characters to be able to make connections between texts. This routine definitely helped with that-- like I told the boys, at the end of Literature Circles, I want us to feel like all four of the characters: Ned, Joe, Joey, and Grandma Dowdel, are all sitting in the classroom with us. As we reviewed their responses, we were able to make connections between characters and also discuss differences (i.e.-- Grandma and Gabe seem very different because Grandma faces her fears head-on while is afraid of everything, even moving up to the 5th grade). At the beginning of the year, I got a lot of what I call "surface" responses with this routine (for example, a baseball for an image of a boy who plays baseball). Now that we've used the routine a good bit, their responses demonstrate an understanding of figurative language--- for example, I loved the example of an image of a car driving in the "slow lane" to represent a character who lives in the "slow lane of life." Another example was the color red to represent a character's "true heart, perseverance, and willingness to shed blood for his country."

Chalk Talk

After a great first day of Literature Circles, we had some time to "debrief" on Friday to discuss everyone's impressions of how their group worked together, what they would like to improve upon, and what they accomplished. I decided to use the Chalk Talk routine I learned about at PZ, and I asked the boys these two questions: "If Mrs. Droke or Mr. Burns (our assistant headmaster and headmaster) walked in our room during Lit. Circle meetings, what would they be excited to see? What do you believe good learning looks like in the context of Lit. Circles?" Chalk Talk is basically a conversation on paper, and the boys generated excellent ideas about what good learning looks like. One of my favorites was the shot at the end that says, "Cooperation + organization + creativity + facts x fun = learning." I love that this student chose a mathematical relationship to express himself. The incredible thing about these routines is that it's not necessary to review as a class what everyone wrote. I just had them walk around at the end, and then I put the butcher paper up on our walls as a reminder. I encouraged them to remember those ideas and implement them in their groups when they meet next.

Chalk Talk from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

What Learning Looks Like

I've been reflecting lately on what learning looks like, and I was excited to see a true picture of it yesterday. When Marie and I set out to try Literature Circles this quarter, we were definitely apprehensive and completely unsure about what we were doing. With a lot of help from our tech coach, we were able to set up completely paperless (except for the texts!) Literature Circles. Last week, I presented the four books they would be able to choose from: Code Talker (by Joseph Bruchac), A Long Way from Chicago (by Ricahrd Peck), The Liberation of Gabriel King (by KL Going), and Jackie and Me (by Dan Gutman). We chose books at a variety of levels, and the boys used Survey Monkey to select their top three choices. We passed out books last week, and I gave them the "job" that they would be starting with (we aren't sure how the jobs will work, and we may end up doing away with them completely after a few meetings). We had our first official meetings in class yesterday, and I was incredibly impressed with what I saw. As I walked around the room and listened to the conversations taking place, I heard boys making connections to the text, pulling out examples of figurative language, and sharing reflection journal entries from the night before. When I ponder what learning looks like, I'm sure that it looks more like the videos below and less like the way I was taught. It is student-centered, student-led, and that is what makes this venture so exciting. As I continue to read about Literature Circles (Harvey Daniels' books have been very helpful, especially Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles and Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups), I think this will be something we implement throughout the school year next year. We'll continue to supplement with short stories and will definitely continue to do whole-group reading.

Literature Circle 3 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.

Literature Circles 2 from Courtney Humphreys on Vimeo.