Mix it Up

My students created a game on the playground.  They made their own rules and figured out ways to be the best at this game.  Then came the challenge.  The girls challenged the boys to a marathon of this game.  Every day when we went outside they would situate themselves around this game.  

As some time passed I noticed that the teams had changed.  It was no longer girls vs. boys.  They mixed it up.  With this change there seemed to be more comradery.  The game flowed more smoothly than it had before and rules seemed to be adhered to more diligently.  

There are times in the classroom where the kids would prefer to be with their own gender.  We respect that.  There are times when the kids like to be with their friends.  We respect that too.  There are times, as well, when they let go of these notions and allow themselves to expand their horizons; including themselves among everyone...male, female, friend, or foe.

This display of mixing it up produces precisely what I, as their teacher, strive for in the social arena of my classroom.  Comradery.  The ability to get along and feel good about the fellowship that comes from sharing time and space with others.  

Play is an important part of learning...it's a natural stage for kids.  The game they created is theirs...they own it, they enjoy it, they learn from it.

Mr. Casten

Oct. 26, 2012

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

Good Morning

Every morning I sit outside my classroom and greet each student.  We exchange "good mornings" and they tell me what they are doing for lunch.  It's a nice time of day because I get to see each one of my students and connect with them, if only for a moment.  The day quickly gets itself into motion and the whirlwind of learning commences. 

That initial connection in the morning is the spark that sets the tone of our day.  It brings to light the humanness in us all; kids are people too and so are teachers. As we get to know one another we find out more and more about each other.  I have the privilege of learning about 21 individuals...each with their own dreams and fears, talents and skills, highs and lows.  Each one of them comes to me day after day with a host of experiences from their lives; as do I to them.  Each one of them comes to me with a sense of self that has been in the works for the past 9-10 years; mine spans 45.  When they approach me in the morning I get to look into their eyes for a brief moment and much of the time I can see what lies behind them.  Some days they are tired, others they are full of life.  Some days they are sad, other days they are bursting with excitement.  Some days they are confused, on others they have a command of their day. 

As we cruise through our day we exchange interactions on many levels.  We talk, we laugh, and sometimes cry.  We help one another with school work and life work.  It's a dance that we do...at times letting the other lead; at times following the other. 

The "good mornings" set the tone for the day.  They help direct our energies to the time directly ahead of us which is full of life.

Mr. Casten

Oct. 19, 2012

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

Apply What You Know

Five weeks of Reading lessons.

   Five selections were read and discussed.

        Skills and strategies were explained and practiced.

             Review took place over the course of one week.

Five weeks of Writing lessons.

     Six papers in all were completed.

         Six papers were edited and revised.

              Writing techniques were taught and practiced.

The time for my students to demonstrate what they have learned finally came.  The reading test had two selections to be read and questions followed; testing their ability to identify main ideas and details, draw conclusions, work with vocabulary words, as well as identifying themes. 

A writing prompt was given and students were expected to create a paper using the techniques and target skills learned with this unit.  They were left to their own devices to piece together a comprehensive paper complete with intro, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Main ideas and details along with "good" word choice were two of the expectations.

The end of the testing week has come to a close.  Before I officially grade my students' writing I like to casually read them, without my "teacher-hat" on.  This allows me to enjoy the writing for what it is and often gives me a chance to absorb what they are trying to say to me in words.  As I read each paper I found myself noticing the parts that were really well done.  It provided me with a sense of what my students "picked-up" from the lessons and practice.  With this writing test I noticed, above all, their introductions.

Introductions are difficult to put together in a way that is effective.  It's the spark of the paper that ignites the reader's attention.  If the spark isn't there, the reader often loses interest.  There's a lot of pressure on the introduction and hence, the writer feels that pressure as well.  The introductions that I read were wonderful...they captured my attention, pulled me into the paper, and set the stage for what was to come.

To say I noticed the introductions above all doesn't mean that the rest of the paper for any student lacked somehow.  There was a tremendous amount of excellent body paragraphs that followed our lessons on form and technique.  Conclusions, too, were well done. 

The official grading of writing takes some time as I must "take-apart" their essays and look at the intricacies therein.  It's worth it though as it produces more confident, well balanced writers out of my students.

At first glance I also noticed that my students, as a group, did well on the Reading Test.  This too speaks to the work and dedication that they put forth over the past five weeks.  They have shown themselves as a group of students who know the value of an education; an excellent prerequisite for learning!

The idea is that their successes on these tests will motivate them to continue in their learning with just as much enthusiasm and vigor they have shown thus far.  We will build on what we know, introduce new ideas, practice over time, and show the world what we can do!

Mr. Casten

Oct. 12, 2012

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

The Educational Arena

The sounds of children playing rush through my open window.  The cool air softly slips past the screen as the fall seasons begins to take hold.  If I stare long enough at the tree across the street I can almost see the leaves changing their colors.  Every so often a shrill of playful delight rings above the children's crowd noise.  And for brief moments there is a seeming silence when the voices all together quiet themselves.  It's as if there is a wave of commotion amongst them.  I know they are all doing something different yet from simply listening to them their sound echoes in unison.

My classroom is still.  It's quiet and lifeless.  The children quickly left for lunch today and their "things" are still exactly where they left them.  Books over turned to save the place of the reader, open journals, pens and pencils randomly placed all rest on the desks.  Jackets hang limp over the backs of chairs. Snack containers, some open and some closed, can be seen.  Water bottles sit upon the desks as small towers...each one different...as are their owners.

This was the first week we really departed from our normal daily routine of reading and writing which usually takes up our whole morning.  It was review week for the upcoming Unit Test and we were doing just that--reviewing.  For the reading review I had my students take the educational route of creating something in order to review what we have learned in the past 5-6 weeks.  We created a booklet that contains major concepts, complete with definitions, examples, and pictures.  They spent each day perfecting their booklets.  They collaborated with each other, with me, and with our parent volunteers.  They engaged themselves in the content. 

For writing we spent the week editing, revising, and writing our final copy of the 4-week long "How to Study" paper.  It served us well to have parent volunteers in the room so that every student had an opportunity to sit one-on-one with an adult and edit their paper by finding good aspects, errors, and places where the writing might be changed.  Every student in the room was able to produce a four-paragraph expository paper explaining their best practices in studying both at school and at home.  They learned about the writing process from immersing themselves in it.  They became writers.

The change in seasons always prompts me to seek the change in my students as they settle into the routines of Room 202 and begin to show their true selves.  This week, they showed me that their determination to do well, their ability accept constructive criticism, and their courage to take educational risks is indeed present.  What better arena for a teacher to find himself?

Mr. Casten

Oct. 5, 2012

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten