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ITS COMING!!
Our Back-To-Back, Back-To-School Issues
Packed with excellent articles on getting yourself and your
students back into school mode!
Look for August
Issue 16 and September Issue 17, coming soon |
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Would you be interested in
becoming a Featured Writer for the StarTeaching website?
Our Newsletter
is now posting a opening for a creative educator interested in
designing a set of weekly problem solving activities for
students and teachers to use.
Email your resume and letter of
interest to: editor@starteaching.com |
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Designing
and Running a Medieval Fair
(part 2)
By
Frank
Holes, Jr.
Middle School Teacher
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Running
large events, such as a medieval fair, at school is often too much
for most teachers to attempt. However, with careful planning, and
some well directed help, you can orchestrate a successful,
educational, and memorable experience for your students.
This article, second in the series, describes how you can utilize
the help of outsize sources.
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Bringing in outside help required making contacts with
locals who had the skills we needed. We found the leader of the local
archery group who volunteered to bring in bows, arrows, and targets. Our
local scoutmaster was pleased to show and model primitive cooking
techniques (most camp cookery isn't much different than the medieval
methods.) A local church choir agreed to come in and sing and perform a
medieval skit. And several parents who belong to craft groups were
honored to be able to share their skills with the kids.
A great share of the details were researched on-line.
Authentic costumes and dress were developed by looking at examples on
the internet. Banners and heraldry, customs, meal etiquette and menus,
weapons and armor, and peasant life were all thoroughly resaerched
online by our students.
Well before the fair, our students worked through the
curriculum. The social studies class completed their chapters on the
medieval European time period. English class read exerpts from the tales
of King Arthur and Robin Hood (you can find many printable copies
online). Both classes practiced SQ3R reading skills on several handouts
dealing with medieval culture and civilization. Science class completed
their reports on historic European inventors. Even our math class
supplemented story problems with medieval aspects. Art class created the
students' costumes and medallions, and built the castle backdrops and
scenery.
Our food menu was developed after carefully
researching on-line. We first checked on foods that wouldn't be
available, either because they hadn't been developed yet, or they were
native to the new world and hadn't been discovered during medieval
times. We then checked out recipes and dishes that we could
realistically prepare. See the links below for more information.
We did have to make a few concessions, based on what
we could get. Even though we weren't completely authentic, we were very
close. For example, instead of meat pies, our cafeteria food supplier
had pasties. Instead of fruit pastries and turnovers, we ordered fruit
pies. We avoided the necessary foods. We also found several side dish
recipes for students to make at home. The parents brought in the dishes
in the morning, and our kitchen staff kept them warm until lunch. In the
overall scheme of the day, we provided an excellent balanced meal based
on medieval traditions. You can see the entire menu at the end of this
article.
But the biggest change in personnel was the contact we
made with a group of medieval re-enactors. It took several phone calls
and emails to finally locate a couple who were interested in meeting
with us. They listened to our plans and ideas, and not only made
suggestions, but also volunteered to visit school several times during
the marking period. They taught our students about heraldry, symbols,
and medieval weapons, food, and dress. They also worked with the
students on creating appropriate clothing. They suggested making simple
'tabards', loose-fitting over shirts that acted like combination vest
and cape. Hanging to just above the knees, the tabards were tied with
twine around the waist. The girls made simple headbands with flowing
material over simple dresses.
The students also needed an insignia, a heraldry
symbol on a colored background. Our elementary art teacher was kind
enough to offer clay and glazing for our students to make pottery
goblets and insignia to wear around their necks. This was a fun
diversion over several Friday afternoons, our students working with
elementary students and their kiln.
In the art classes, students made banners and
tapestries, displaying aluminum punched and decorated shields. Students
also created background elements to hang on the gym walls, transforming
boring painted cement walls into an old-fashioned castle wall made of
various sized and colored rocks.
Donated appliance boxes from a local warehouse store
were transformed into castle walls and towers by painting stone blocks,
windows, doorways, and battlements on them. Students used gray paint to
create the stone and black paint for the chinking. Visual elements such
as archways made of curved blocks and cracked or broken sections of
stone added to the reality of windows and doorways.
These boxes were then placed around the gym in
strategic locations (for example to cover up the baskets and volleyball
equipment). Boxes that were still sturdy and intact could be built up
one atop another to form towers and give the illusion of height. You
need not cover every square inch to give the illusion of being in a
castle; spread the decorations around and let your students' minds do
the rest.
Another project we do is to create tapestries to hang
as dividers between stations. Students bring in old bed sheets and our
best artists paint castle scenes on them. We've collected half a dozen
of these tapestries over the past few years, trying to add a few each
year. The nice thing about this is you can fold them up and save them
for future events. Some tapestries show suits of armor, treasure chests,
castle walls and windows to the medieval world.
Set up the site the day or two before, and have a plan
for decorating and traffic flow. We divided up our students into equal
groups and developed a traffic flow pattern so they rotated to each
group in an orderly fashion. We wanted a central location for our feast,
right in front of the acting/presentation area (since feasts were
accompanied by songs and music, dancing, skits and plays, and other
forms of merriment). For us, we wanted to be in front of our stage,
located on the long side of our gym. Since we were using our middle
school gym, we had to reserve it several months ahead to avoid conflict
with sports practices. In general it was not a problem, as long as
coaches and janitors knew well ahead of time.
Look for more in the next
segment!
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Essentially, this software is a SELF AWARENESS tool that
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TECH
CORNER
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Help! I Can't Find Anything
By Mark Benn
Middle School Teacher
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Mark's latest
articles are about changing our classrooms and teaching styles
to reflect the latest changes in technology.
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If you have
ever found yourself saying that, you need to begin to organize yourself.
I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with technology
integration education. Haven't you gotten frustrated with students that
can't find anything in their trapper keeper or locker? Because of this
lack of organization, there is a loss of valuable time. What about their
computer files?
Let's face it, most people aren't born with great organizational skills,
they have to learn these skills. When was the last time you taught the
students how to organize themselves on a computer? You may have helped
them organize a project, but how about continual long term organization?
As we move away from pencil and paper and more towards electronic forms,
this skill becomes very important. I was reminded of this last school
year when I attempted to help a student, I found their desktop so
crowded with icons they couldn't find anything. That's when I faced the
fact that I hadn't taught them how to organize themselves. Let's take a
look at what should be done.
If you are using computers that aren't on a network, then everything
should be saved in My Documents. Even here it can become a mess, if not
planned out. One idea is to set the computer up with accounts. Then each
student has their own My Documents. Within this file you should have
them brainstorm what folders they should have. Maybe it should be
folders named Language Arts, Social Studies, and so on. Within these
folders could be other folders that might be set up for projects,
homework, etc. Guide the students through this process without telling
them everything. Have them discuss within groups how to organize things,
and then share their ideas with the others. This process takes longer
then telling, but will get them thinking about organization and taking
ownership in it. Then, teach them how to follow a route to save into the
correct folder. If you don't want to set up accounts you can always set
up folders for each student on the desktop or in the My Documents
folder.
If the computers are on a school network, each student should already
have their own personal folder. If this isn't set up, have the school IT
person set it up. Show the students how to set up a new folder and name
it. Also, show them how to rename it. This can be done by right clicking
and choosing Rename. Right clicking will also get you a new
folder. The same process should be followed as mentioned in the above
paragraph.
Now, let's talk about the desktop. The desktop is great for temporary
items and even those should be saved in a folder. If a person is
doing a powerpoint and looking for pictures, having a folder on the
desktop to drag them to is great. Otherwise, the desktop should be clear
for downloads, special folders, or application shortcuts.
Another good teaching strategy is to continue bringing up the discussion
of organization throughout the year. Don't stop after one or two
sessions on this topic. It is said that to learn a tech skill it takes
at least 26 hits, or sessions, to make it a part of you. Also, hold them
accountable by periodically checking on their organization . Even give
them a grade since this is an important life skill. This raises the
importance of this skill to a higher level.
Remember, if done at the beginning of the year, you will lessen your's
and your students' frustrations. It also touches on the life skill
called time management. If you do this, this time, you'll thank
yourself.
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Mark Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 20 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He is currently working on
Masters of Integration of Technology from Walden University.
Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as Department Manager for
Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with emerging technologies.
He has been married to his wife Bonnietta for 32 years with one
daughter and two sons. In the summers, Mark works for
Mackinac State Historic Parks in the as a historical
interpreter.
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StarTeaching Featured Writer
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Mark Benn is a leading expert in using technology
in the classroom.
You can feel free to contact him on email
at mbenn@inlandlakes.org
or at his blogsite: http://www.furtrader.blogspot.com/
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Year of the
Dogman
A new novel by Frank Holes, Jr. |
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Part mystery, part science fiction, Year
of the Dogman is an imaginative, compelling, and adrenaline-pumping
adventure. Author Frank Holes, Jr. takes no prisoners in creating a
diabolical creature that leaves the forest to prey on the hapless hamlet
of
Twin
Lakes
in
Northern Michigan
. When night falls, the nocturnal beast, Dogman, scares the living
daylights out of anyone he happens upon as he searches for a timeless
treasure stolen from a Native American tribe. In the midst of the chaos, a
young teacher is forced to put two and two together no matter how high the
cost to rid the village of the treacherous man-beast who thrives on
destruction and terror.
The Dogman, a creature of
MythMichigan, is an excellent example of modern-day folklore to
study in your classes.
http://www.dogman07.com
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Order your copy by clicking the link below.
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New
Teachers' Niche:
A Place for New Teachers, Student Teachers, and Interns |
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Daily
Points in Class
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Starting your class on the right foot each day is
very important to both you and the students. There are certain
expectations you will have, be they required materials (texts,
folders, gym clothes), basic supplies (pencils/paper), or
behaviors (on time, in seats, working on opening activities).
You are going to want these expectations met every day.
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We designed a simple set of 5 rules to start out every class. These
are easy to remember and easy to keep track of. Several of our teachers
use a variation of the 5 rules to start their classes, and you may feel
free to adapt these to your class. These are the rules I use in English
class:
Rule 1: Students must be in their seats when class begins. In some
schools, classes begin (and are dismissed) by a bell. Some classes begin
at a specific time. Still other classes are started by a particular
signal from the teacher.
Rule 2: Students must have a writing instrument. Again, different
teachers have different expectations, be it pencil or pen or whatever.
For me, it doesn't matter as long as it s dark enough to read. I only
balk at silver, gold, white, or any other light or fluorescent color
(hot pink or yellow for example).
Rule 3: Students must have their folder out on their desk. Each of our
classes requires students to keep important papers, notes, and other
course artifacts. Some teachers allow students to keep these, and others
provide a location in the room for folders.
Rule 4: Students must have all required materials for class that day. To
reduce the number of times students ask me about what they need for the
day's class, I will either write the materials list on the board or put
it on the class announcements on our TV (watch for the article on
creating a class cable TV network our upcoming March issue).
Rule 5: Students must be working on the class warm up activity. In
English class, students write out Daily Oral Language (DOL) sentences,
practicing proofreading skills. On the edge of each day's entry are the
numbers 1 through 5, making it easy to grade. All you have to do is
circle the appropriate number.
Again, we give each student a daily grade of points (1-5). Some teachers
have only four rules and one rule is worth 2 points. You can change up
and set your own rules and create an easy to grade set of points to fit
your own classroom.
After a few weeks of practice, the checking of daily points becomes a
student job. One student from each group (the RECORDER) gets the weekly
responsibility to check the students' daily points and circle the proper
number. The teacher is freed up for other activities, and you only need
to spot check through the room. This way I can record the daily points
only once every two weeks and they are already tallied up for me.
Interested in FREE writing activities you can print out and use
immediately in your classroom? Simply click the following link to our
writing page: http://www.starteaching.com/writing.htm
Be sure to check out our website for the FREE teacher Who-I-Want-To- Be
plan and other great Freebies for new teachers. Simply click the
following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
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Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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Website
of the Month:
QuizzlerPro.com
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Our August WEBSITE OF THE MONTH award is
presented to, QuizzlerPro.com, a site for
students to practice their quiz-taking skills.
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QuizzlerPro
is a site where teachers (and students too) can create and publish their
own quizzes and download them to PDAs, iPODS, and other computers. Able
to be used on Mac, PC, Palm, and Pocket PC platforms, the quizzes
created by teachers can be utilized by students almost anywhere. Quizzes
can be beamed back and forth, and graded instantly. There is also
a library of over 15,000 quiz questions you can use.
This is a user-friendly website with quick links to the
various parts of the site. It is an excellent resource for any
teachers who use technology regularly in their classes.
Check this site out, you'll be glad you did. Simply click the
link below:
http://www.quizzlerpro.com
|
Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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School or District Who Would Love to Receive Our Newsletter?
Be sure to
pass along our website and newsletter!
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"Gifts
From The Heart"
Michael Josephson Themes
on Life
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Do we recognize true gifts
when they are given to us?
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According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across
a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he
filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder
who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the
water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked
his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his
village with a happy heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out,
saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old
leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the
water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift.
The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and
nothing could be sweeter."
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of
love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni
bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed
thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children
and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling
embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about
the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After
all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
See more of our Freebies as well as Special
Reports on our website by clicking the quick link below:
http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Make sure to BOOKMARK our website so you can
keep up with more changes and additions through the year. And feel
free to share our site by EMAILING it to a friend.
http://www.starteaching.com
Email us at editor@starteaching.com
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