Posts
And why haven't I heard of him/her?
Or have I?
via Mike Goldstein, via eduwonk.
While I'm on the subject, I'm also asking myself why I apparently have no idea who Mike Goldstein is, either. When I saw he was guest-blogging (again) for eduwonk, I thought, Great! I love this guy!
Well, perhaps I do love Mike Goldstein; who knows? Turns out I was thinking Mike Goldstein was Mike Piscal, another eduwonk link.
Apparently my aging brain can't distinguish between two different charter school founders with the first name "Mike."
I hope that's not a sign of anything.
Monday, July 16, 2007
from doctor pion - writing a precis
On this excellent suggestion and the reference to copy editing in "eureka": I remember spending a significant amount of time writing a precis (correct spelling, should be an accent over the e). A typical assignment was to cut the length of an article by a factor of 10 without removing the key ideas.
Of course, that means your first task is to identify those key ideas, which helps with critical reading as well as with writing.
Absolutely.
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precise and critical reading
My Favorite Identities (In Context)
Back when I taught college algebra, I liked to tell students what I see when I look at a complicated equation. Perhaps it will help others.
The first thing I look for are the major "chunks" or terms that are separated by a plus sign, a minus sign, or an equals sign. I would write things like this on the board
3(x-1)^2/(45x) - (10x+4)/2 + 55 = 1/(x^2-1)
and tell them to circles the "chunks" or terms. I told them to always include the sign with the term. If a term doesn't have a sign, then the sign is '+'.
Identity [a = 1 * a]
25 = (+1) * 25
If you don't see a sign, it's a plus. Always remember that 1 is a factor.
The first term is
+3(x-1)^2/(45x)
The second term is
-(10x+4)/2
The third term is
+55
and the fourth term is
+1/(x^2-1)
This is the first level of breakdown of any equation. You have to see the terms.
You can move any term (no matter how complicated) from one side of the equals sign to the other by changing its sign. Remember to change and take the sign of the term with you. None of the other terms change at all when you do this.
I haven't said what I wanted to do with this equation. I'm just seeing what I can do if I want.
All terms are fractions (rational expressions) and have a numerator and a denominator.
For the first term, the numerator is +3(x-1)^2 and the denominator is (45x). The third term has a numerator of 55 and a denominator of 1. If you don't explicitly see a denominator, it is 1.
Identity [a = a/1]
This is the second level of breakdown for any equation. You have to see the fractions.
Next, look at each term (numerator and denominator) and find all of the factors. These are things that are multiplied together. Remember that exponents belong to the factor.
For the first term, the numerator has (3) and (x-1)^2 as factors. (I suppose that you could say that (x-1)^2 is really two factors, (x-1) and (x-1), but I don't think that kind of factoring is necessary. Keeping the exponent has its uses.) The denominator has the factors (45) and (x). If you see something like x-5 all by itself in a numerator or denominator, I really, really like to see it surrounded by parens. This makes it clear that it is a factor and must be treated as a whole. Students do weird things with something like "x-5" if you don't enclose it with parens.
This is the third level of breakdown for any equation. You have to see the factors.
You can change the position of any factors in the numerator or any factors in the denominator.
Identity [a*b = b*a]
Term 1 could be:
+(x-1)^2*3/(x*45)
Which brings up another issue. Mathematicians like to order factors in a particular way. This is not required, but it's a good thing to know. The simplest rule is to put the number factors (constants) first and the variables after that. Some like to sort the factors based on the size of the exponents, or they like to keep the variables in the same order for all terms.
All factors (actually, all numbers and variables) have exponents.
Identity [a = a^1] (This is not really part of the basic math identity set)
If you don't see an exponent, it's a one.
You can move any factor from the denominator to the numerator, or vice versa, by changing the sign of the exponent.
Identity [x^(-a) = 1/x^a]
1/(x-2) = (x-2)^(-1)
(x-2) is a factor. Its exponent is 1. I can move it to the numerator by changing the sign of the exponent. You need to be able to make these changes (for whatever reason) without a second thought. It has to be automatic.
With these basic identities and breakdown, you can push terms and factors around to meet your needs. This is the lowest level of equation manipulation.
The first thing I look for are the major "chunks" or terms that are separated by a plus sign, a minus sign, or an equals sign. I would write things like this on the board
3(x-1)^2/(45x) - (10x+4)/2 + 55 = 1/(x^2-1)
and tell them to circles the "chunks" or terms. I told them to always include the sign with the term. If a term doesn't have a sign, then the sign is '+'.
Identity [a = 1 * a]
25 = (+1) * 25
If you don't see a sign, it's a plus. Always remember that 1 is a factor.
The first term is
+3(x-1)^2/(45x)
The second term is
-(10x+4)/2
The third term is
+55
and the fourth term is
+1/(x^2-1)
This is the first level of breakdown of any equation. You have to see the terms.
You can move any term (no matter how complicated) from one side of the equals sign to the other by changing its sign. Remember to change and take the sign of the term with you. None of the other terms change at all when you do this.
I haven't said what I wanted to do with this equation. I'm just seeing what I can do if I want.
All terms are fractions (rational expressions) and have a numerator and a denominator.
For the first term, the numerator is +3(x-1)^2 and the denominator is (45x). The third term has a numerator of 55 and a denominator of 1. If you don't explicitly see a denominator, it is 1.
Identity [a = a/1]
This is the second level of breakdown for any equation. You have to see the fractions.
Next, look at each term (numerator and denominator) and find all of the factors. These are things that are multiplied together. Remember that exponents belong to the factor.
For the first term, the numerator has (3) and (x-1)^2 as factors. (I suppose that you could say that (x-1)^2 is really two factors, (x-1) and (x-1), but I don't think that kind of factoring is necessary. Keeping the exponent has its uses.) The denominator has the factors (45) and (x). If you see something like x-5 all by itself in a numerator or denominator, I really, really like to see it surrounded by parens. This makes it clear that it is a factor and must be treated as a whole. Students do weird things with something like "x-5" if you don't enclose it with parens.
This is the third level of breakdown for any equation. You have to see the factors.
You can change the position of any factors in the numerator or any factors in the denominator.
Identity [a*b = b*a]
Term 1 could be:
+(x-1)^2*3/(x*45)
Which brings up another issue. Mathematicians like to order factors in a particular way. This is not required, but it's a good thing to know. The simplest rule is to put the number factors (constants) first and the variables after that. Some like to sort the factors based on the size of the exponents, or they like to keep the variables in the same order for all terms.
All factors (actually, all numbers and variables) have exponents.
Identity [a = a^1] (This is not really part of the basic math identity set)
If you don't see an exponent, it's a one.
You can move any factor from the denominator to the numerator, or vice versa, by changing the sign of the exponent.
Identity [x^(-a) = 1/x^a]
1/(x-2) = (x-2)^(-1)
(x-2) is a factor. Its exponent is 1. I can move it to the numerator by changing the sign of the exponent. You need to be able to make these changes (for whatever reason) without a second thought. It has to be automatic.
With these basic identities and breakdown, you can push terms and factors around to meet your needs. This is the lowest level of equation manipulation.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
John Saxon on the need for speed
Rapid and accurate recall of basic facts and skills dramatically increases students' mathematical sbilities. To that end we have provided the Facts Practice Tests. Begin each lesson with the Facts Practice Test suggested in the WarmUp, limiting the time to five minutes or less. Your student should work independently and rapidly during the Facts Practice Tests, trying to improve on previous performances in both speed and accuracy.
Each Facts Practice Test contains a line for your student to record his or her time. Timing the student is motivating. Striving to improve speed helps students automate skills and offers the additional benefit of an up-tempo atmosphere to start the lesson. Time invested in practicing basic facts is repaid in your student's ability to work faster.
After each Facts Practice Test, quickly read aloud the answers from the Saxon Math 8/7 Homeschool Solutions Manual as your student checks his or her work. If your student made any errors or was unable to finish within the allotted time, he or she should correct the errors or complete the problems as part of the day's assignment. You might wish to have your student track Facts Practice scores and times on Recording Form A, which is found in this workbook.
source:
Facts Practice Tests and Activity Sheets
Saxon Math Homeschool 8/7 Tests and Worksheets
Saxon Math Homeschool 8/7 ($18.50 at Rainbow Resource)
Yes!
I do wish!
Until I figure out celeration charts, Recording Form A will do nicely.
Facts Practice Tests - Saxon 8/7:
A multiplication
B equations
C 30 improper fractions and mixed numbers
D 40 fractions to reduce
E circles
F lines, angles, polygons
G fractions
H measurement facts
I proportions
J decimals
K powers and roots
L fraction-decimal-percent equivalents
M metric conversions
N mixed numbers
O geometry
P integers
Q percent-decimal-fraction equivalents
R area
S scientific notation
T order of operations
U two-step equations
V algebraic terms
W multiplying and dividing in scientific notation
more from Joanne Jacobs
joanne jacobs, part 1
Ed and I have both had the experience, many times over, of being forced to cut a piece of writing beyond what seems possible.
Extremely difficult to do (see: Woodrow Wilson), but invariably a good idea. Every time this happens, we're surprised all over again.
People say writing is rewriting.
What writing really is, is cutting.
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
I don't know much about how they teach in Britain. Just what I read in Harry Potter. I thought up the write-and-cut method when I was a copy editor. I noticed how often I could cut an editorial or column significantly without losing any content.
When I talk to students, I urge them to pretend that they have to buy every word they use for $1 a word but get $10 back every time they say something interesting or important. Then I tell them to cost out their writing. Do they really need all those words to make the point?
Also, I tell them to read aloud what they've written, listening for clunkiness. Most people improve their writing when they tap into their speaking voice, which is more fluid.
Ed and I have both had the experience, many times over, of being forced to cut a piece of writing beyond what seems possible.
Extremely difficult to do (see: Woodrow Wilson), but invariably a good idea. Every time this happens, we're surprised all over again.
People say writing is rewriting.
What writing really is, is cutting.
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
eureka
I think I've got it!
I think I've got the answer, or an answer at any rate, to short, sweet writing lessons an afterschooling parent can use to teach writing, rewriting, and revision.
We need editing exercises: we need the equivalent of the copy-editing books Evan-Moor publishes, only for editing proper.
If you can practice punctuation and usage copy editing other people's paragraphs (answer key), why can't you practice writing and rewriting by revising other people's essays?
I think you can.
This idea came to me sometime yesterday, but I was stumped over where to come up with short texts I could have C. edit down from 500 words to 50, mostly because I don't have the stamina to force C. to produce his own short texts.
Then today, talking to Ed about the state ELA test (one word: arrghh) I remembered Walter Pauk's reading comprehension books (you may need to hit refresh a couple of times). I bought a copy of Six-Way Paragraphs: Middle Level last summer. It's a dandy book, but I stopped using it after the first 19 exercises because C. didn't need it.
I hadn't thought about Pauk in a year until Ed said something that sparked a Eureka moment: Pauk's books are a superb source of short, well-written essays that can be revised and rewritten to be even shorter and better written than they already are.
Which is almost always a good thing to do, as Joanne Jacobs, Woodrow Wilson, British writing instructors, and possibly all professional and/or scholarly writers know.
bonus points
Rewriting Pauk's essays on a daily or near-daily basis might produce something like fluency in the rewriting/revision process.
Whether or not fluency results, this is certainly an exercise in analysis and summary. Summarizing is an extraordinarily difficult "skill" that is almost never taught directly as far as I can tell, and yet is so central to nonfiction writing you could make an argument that summarizing is nonfiction writing. (Well, someone could make that argument. Not me. Not today.)
Tomorrow I'm going to have C. cut 50 words from Pauk's essay on stunt people while preserving every essential point.
Then another 25 words the next day.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Pauk's books
Six-Way Paragraphs: Introductory
ISBN-10: 0809203715
ISBN-13: 978-0809203710
Six-Way Paragraphs: Middle
ISBN-10: 0844221198
ISBN-13: 978-0844221199
Six-Way Paragraphs: Advanced
ISBN-10: 0844221236
ISBN-13: 978-0844221236
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Introductory
ISBN-10: 0809203715
ISBN-13: 978-0809203710
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Middle Level
ISBN-10: 0809203723
ISBN-13: 978-0809203727
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Advanced Level
ISBN-10: 0809203731
ISBN-13: 978-0809203734
I ordered a copy of Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Advanced Levels.
Jamestown Education at Glencoe
results with Jamestown (marketing paper)
Six-Way Paragraphs at Jamestown/Glencoe
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas at Jamestown/Glencoe
BBC.co.uk Skillswise
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
I think I've got the answer, or an answer at any rate, to short, sweet writing lessons an afterschooling parent can use to teach writing, rewriting, and revision.
We need editing exercises: we need the equivalent of the copy-editing books Evan-Moor publishes, only for editing proper.
If you can practice punctuation and usage copy editing other people's paragraphs (answer key), why can't you practice writing and rewriting by revising other people's essays?
I think you can.
This idea came to me sometime yesterday, but I was stumped over where to come up with short texts I could have C. edit down from 500 words to 50, mostly because I don't have the stamina to force C. to produce his own short texts.
Then today, talking to Ed about the state ELA test (one word: arrghh) I remembered Walter Pauk's reading comprehension books (you may need to hit refresh a couple of times). I bought a copy of Six-Way Paragraphs: Middle Level last summer. It's a dandy book, but I stopped using it after the first 19 exercises because C. didn't need it.
I hadn't thought about Pauk in a year until Ed said something that sparked a Eureka moment: Pauk's books are a superb source of short, well-written essays that can be revised and rewritten to be even shorter and better written than they already are.
Which is almost always a good thing to do, as Joanne Jacobs, Woodrow Wilson, British writing instructors, and possibly all professional and/or scholarly writers know.
bonus points
Rewriting Pauk's essays on a daily or near-daily basis might produce something like fluency in the rewriting/revision process.
Whether or not fluency results, this is certainly an exercise in analysis and summary. Summarizing is an extraordinarily difficult "skill" that is almost never taught directly as far as I can tell, and yet is so central to nonfiction writing you could make an argument that summarizing is nonfiction writing. (Well, someone could make that argument. Not me. Not today.)
Tomorrow I'm going to have C. cut 50 words from Pauk's essay on stunt people while preserving every essential point.
Then another 25 words the next day.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Stunt People
They are daredevils. They are in great physical shape. They are not movie stars, but they make a lot of money. These brave folks -- stunt people -- are the hidden heroes of many movies.
Stunt people were around long before films. Even Shakespeare probably used them in fight scenes. To be good, a fight scene has to look real. Punches must land on enemies’ jaws. Sword fights must be fought with sharp swords. Several actors are usually in a fight scene. Their moves must be set up so that no one gets hurt. It is almost like planning a dance performance.
If a movie scene is dangerous, stunt people usually fill in for the stars. You may think you see Tom Cruise running along the top of a train. But it is probably his stunt double. Stunt people must resemble the stars they stand in for. Their height and build should be about the same. But when close-ups are needed, the film focuses on the star.
Some stunt people specialize in certain kinds of scenes. For instance, a stunt woman named Jan Davis does all kinds of jumps. She has leapt from plans and even off the top of a waterfall. Each jump required careful planning and expert timing.
Yakima Canutt was a famous cowboy stunt man. Among other stunts, he could jump from a second story window onto a horse’s back. He invented the famous trick of sliding under a moving stagecoach. (Maybe you’ve seen this stunt in TV westerns.) Canutt also figured out a new way to make a punch look real. He was the only stunt man ever to get an Oscar.
277 words
source:
Six-Way Paragraphs: Middle Level
by Walter Pauk
p 30
ISBN-10: 0844221198
ISBN-13: 978-0844221199
Pauk's books
Six-Way Paragraphs: Introductory
ISBN-10: 0809203715
ISBN-13: 978-0809203710
Six-Way Paragraphs: Middle
ISBN-10: 0844221198
ISBN-13: 978-0844221199
Six-Way Paragraphs: Advanced
ISBN-10: 0844221236
ISBN-13: 978-0844221236
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Introductory
ISBN-10: 0809203715
ISBN-13: 978-0809203710
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Middle Level
ISBN-10: 0809203723
ISBN-13: 978-0809203727
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Advanced Level
ISBN-10: 0809203731
ISBN-13: 978-0809203734
I ordered a copy of Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Advanced Levels.
Jamestown Education at Glencoe
results with Jamestown (marketing paper)
Six-Way Paragraphs at Jamestown/Glencoe
Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas at Jamestown/Glencoe
BBC.co.uk Skillswise
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
The Wind and the Lion
I saw The Wind and the Lion at least 3 times in the theater when it was released; now it's here, on DVD!
Watched it last night with Ed, who is finishing his book on Henry Stanely. He'd never seen the whole movie, just scenes, and he loved it. We stayed up 'til 1 am listening to John Milius' commentary after the film ended -- fabulous! (Reminded me why I thought it was a good idea to get a Ph.D. in film studies).
Milius says the movie is meant to be a Victorian adventure story: a tale from Kipling. This was fun to hear because that was Ed's experience of the film. He's reading a Kipling novel at the moment, in fact. (Have forgotten the title.)
Milius also says that the film is hugely popular throughout the Islamic world. Everyone from "our staunchest allies" to Bin Laden is probably a fan.
And Sean Connery never makes a mistake. He doesn't blow lines; he doesn't miss his mark; if something changes while a scene is being filmed he knows where the light is. That's exactly what we would have said about Connery, but we had no idea we were right. We thought we were just fans.
We're watching again tonight with Christopher. Wind and the Lion is a family movie that works, and probably the best adventure movie for children I've ever seen.
A Complete Collection of Poems by Rudyard Kipling
The Kipling Society
Watched it last night with Ed, who is finishing his book on Henry Stanely. He'd never seen the whole movie, just scenes, and he loved it. We stayed up 'til 1 am listening to John Milius' commentary after the film ended -- fabulous! (Reminded me why I thought it was a good idea to get a Ph.D. in film studies).
Milius says the movie is meant to be a Victorian adventure story: a tale from Kipling. This was fun to hear because that was Ed's experience of the film. He's reading a Kipling novel at the moment, in fact. (Have forgotten the title.)
Milius also says that the film is hugely popular throughout the Islamic world. Everyone from "our staunchest allies" to Bin Laden is probably a fan.
And Sean Connery never makes a mistake. He doesn't blow lines; he doesn't miss his mark; if something changes while a scene is being filmed he knows where the light is. That's exactly what we would have said about Connery, but we had no idea we were right. We thought we were just fans.
We're watching again tonight with Christopher. Wind and the Lion is a family movie that works, and probably the best adventure movie for children I've ever seen.
A Complete Collection of Poems by Rudyard Kipling
The Kipling Society
fractions speak louder than nerds
brand new blog!
from a middle school math teacher!
This is exciting.
Believe it or not, I have thoughts of going back to school, majoring in math (after I finish high school math, that is) and teaching math to middle school kids.
This is one of the craziest impulses I've had in my life, no doubt, so we'll see.
As much as I'm not a fan of credentialism, in this case it's saving my life, since the years it would take to acquire the relevant credentials are the only thing standing between me and the abyss.
otoh, now that I'm becoming seriously interested in the teaching of composition.... I'm equipped for that, though not credentialed.
That's another thing. I guess I'd have to get an English literature degree to teach ELA, right? But I don't want an English literature degree!
Maybe I should be rooting for the writing-across-the-curriculum folks, after all.
Anyway..... one way or another I'm probably headed back to the classroom in some way. I come from a long line of teachers on both sides of the family. My grandpa was superintendent of schools in my hometown; my mom's mom taught English 'til middle age when her eyes started to bother her (too much paper grading) so she went back to school, took calculus, and switched to math; my sister was an elementary school teacher; my other sister taught high school (she subs now); I began life teaching college ..... plus I spend every day thinking & writing about teaching not to mention attempting to teach my son and me.....
(And let us not forget the fact that I taught Jimmy* to tie his shoes. Now that is a credential.)
Looking forward to Ms. Longhorn's blog.
* for newbies: Jimmy has autism
from a middle school math teacher!
This is exciting.
Believe it or not, I have thoughts of going back to school, majoring in math (after I finish high school math, that is) and teaching math to middle school kids.
This is one of the craziest impulses I've had in my life, no doubt, so we'll see.
As much as I'm not a fan of credentialism, in this case it's saving my life, since the years it would take to acquire the relevant credentials are the only thing standing between me and the abyss.
otoh, now that I'm becoming seriously interested in the teaching of composition.... I'm equipped for that, though not credentialed.
That's another thing. I guess I'd have to get an English literature degree to teach ELA, right? But I don't want an English literature degree!
Maybe I should be rooting for the writing-across-the-curriculum folks, after all.
Anyway..... one way or another I'm probably headed back to the classroom in some way. I come from a long line of teachers on both sides of the family. My grandpa was superintendent of schools in my hometown; my mom's mom taught English 'til middle age when her eyes started to bother her (too much paper grading) so she went back to school, took calculus, and switched to math; my sister was an elementary school teacher; my other sister taught high school (she subs now); I began life teaching college ..... plus I spend every day thinking & writing about teaching not to mention attempting to teach my son and me.....
(And let us not forget the fact that I taught Jimmy* to tie his shoes. Now that is a credential.)
Looking forward to Ms. Longhorn's blog.
* for newbies: Jimmy has autism
Saturday, July 14, 2007
that settles it
I've always wondered whether there was more autism in Silicon Valley and Redmond.
Just spoke to Carolyn a few minutes ago. She says Microsoft has an "autism benefit." They pay 100% of costs for placement of employees autistic children in ABA programs.
Just spoke to Carolyn a few minutes ago. She says Microsoft has an "autism benefit." They pay 100% of costs for placement of employees autistic children in ABA programs.
"a minute a day"
by Sheila Compton
She's written One-Minute precision drills for phonics and math one can order (in England, perhaps not the U.S.?)
I love this one (pdf file). I need to figure out how many FOILs one should be able to do per minute...to be fluent.
I've opened a new folder on my hard drive: "One Minute Drills."
Here are her instructions for precision teaching.
Of course, come to think of it, Saxon did this, too. His Fast Facts sheets are all timed.
He probably should have created Fast Facts sheets for his high school books, too.
One Minute addition facts (pdf file)
One Minute multiplication facts (pdf file)
One Minute phonics - Merlin (pdf file)
One Minute phonics - cards (reading fluency) (pdf file)
She's written One-Minute precision drills for phonics and math one can order (in England, perhaps not the U.S.?)
I love this one (pdf file). I need to figure out how many FOILs one should be able to do per minute...to be fluent.
I've opened a new folder on my hard drive: "One Minute Drills."
Here are her instructions for precision teaching.
Of course, come to think of it, Saxon did this, too. His Fast Facts sheets are all timed.
He probably should have created Fast Facts sheets for his high school books, too.
One Minute addition facts (pdf file)
One Minute multiplication facts (pdf file)
One Minute phonics - Merlin (pdf file)
One Minute phonics - cards (reading fluency) (pdf file)
need for speed, part 2
Precision Teaching Results
Perhaps the most widely cited demonstration of this technology was the Precision Teaching Project in the Great Falls, Montana school district, accepted by the Office of Education Joint Dissemination Review Panel as an exemplary educational model for both regular and special education (Beck, 1979). Teachers engaged elementary school students in 20 to 30 minutes per day of timed practice, charting, and decision-making in a range of basic skills over a period of four years. The results were improvements between 19 and 44 percentile points on subtests of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, as compared with children in control group classrooms elsewhere in the same school district. These are exceptionally large improvements with a comparatively small expenditure of time and effort. In addition, original copies of the materials used for these practice and measurement sessions were available at very low cost from the Precision Teaching Project for unlimited dupilcation by teachers.
One series of classroom studies (Binder, 1985) showed that simply by adding brief, timed practice periods to the class day, teachers can improve students' performance levels and learning rates. Such explicitly timed practice, independent of any other instructional intervention, may be among the most cost-effective educational methods available. Other less formal Precision Teaching results have shown that children can master entire years of curriculum in a few months, and can learn advanced skills far earlier than usually taught in public schools.
We're going to be doing fast drills every day from now on in.
We've already started. Some of the precision teaching websites talk about 10-second drills.
Sounds good to me.
bonus points: you can talk a middle schooler into doing 10 seconds of FOIL problems pretty easily.
what is fluency?
This is the best description of fluency I've seen thus far.
I'm curious about the SAFMEDS idea. I've had such bad luck with flash cards....but obviously SAFMEDS are a different mode of using flash cards than anything I've tried.
I have a scheme afoot to see whether I can incorporate fluency teaching the homework given for C's Earth Science course next year. Earth Science will be his first Regents course; he'll need to pass a Regents exam at the end.
I'm now hearing that kids in the high school hire tutors to help them study for Regents exams; I've also heard that kids who don't hire tutors pass Regents but not with Honors (Honors level is 85% correct, iirc).
I seriously don't want to be hiring tutors for Regents practice - but beyond that, I seriously want C. to be remembering what's been covered in Earth Science as he goes along.
I'm gearing up to try some kind of fluency teaching with me, too - possibly a SAFMEDS arrangment, assuming I can figure out what that is and how it works.
I'm curious about the SAFMEDS idea. I've had such bad luck with flash cards....but obviously SAFMEDS are a different mode of using flash cards than anything I've tried.
I have a scheme afoot to see whether I can incorporate fluency teaching the homework given for C's Earth Science course next year. Earth Science will be his first Regents course; he'll need to pass a Regents exam at the end.
I'm now hearing that kids in the high school hire tutors to help them study for Regents exams; I've also heard that kids who don't hire tutors pass Regents but not with Honors (Honors level is 85% correct, iirc).
I seriously don't want to be hiring tutors for Regents practice - but beyond that, I seriously want C. to be remembering what's been covered in Earth Science as he goes along.
I'm gearing up to try some kind of fluency teaching with me, too - possibly a SAFMEDS arrangment, assuming I can figure out what that is and how it works.
summer school 2007
Algebra 1
Skill Builders
ISBN: 1-932210-10-5
Megawords Book 4
ISBN 0-8388-1826-9
Teacher’s Guide and Answer Key 1
ISBN 0-8388-1825-0
Mixed Skills in Math
I started C. on this book after discovering the precision teaching folks and the concept of fluency. I'm using "Mixed Skills" to provide "slices," which I gather are very short blitz-type practice sets. (I don't know what slices are; I'm guessing from context.)
Basically I'm trying to do a form of fluency teaching with zero training and no materials. So we'll see.
ISBN: 1-56822-861-9
Spanish 1
Skill Builders
ISBN-10: 1932210148
ISBN-13: 978-1932210149
Spectrum Math Grade 7
(an instructivist recommendation, as I recall)
We're doing the entire chapter on decimal and percent; then we'll figure out what to do next.
ISBN-10: 0769636977
ISBN-13: 978-0769636979
Vocabulary Workshop Level A
(you don't need a teacher edition)
ISBN: 0-8215-7606-2
Skill Builders: all series
Spectrum: all series
also:
Saxon Math Algebra 1
We're doing all of the "percent bubbles."
Saxon Math 8/7
all of the fraction bar model problems (Saxon uses bar models for fraction problems in 8/7 & possibly in a couple of the other books)
I located Steps to Good Grammar: 169 Lessons, Exercises, and Tests by Genevieve Walbert Schaefer the other day (ISBN-10: 0825128765 ISBN-13: 978-0825128769), and we may start back with it - although I may decide to have C. do the Instructional Fair diagramming workbooks first (Walberg's book teaches diagramming, too):
Better Sentence Structure Through...Diagramming Book 1
by Mark Dressel & Greg Carnevale
ISBN 1-56822-175-4
ISBN-10: 1568221754
ISBN-13: 978-1568221755
Better Sentence Structure Through...Diagramming Book 2
by Mark Dressel & Greg Carnevale
Instructional Fair
ISBN 1-56822-176-2
ISBN-10: 1568221762
ISBN-13: 978-1568221762
I'm thinking about having C. do an Aleks assessment....
Last but not least, we are now doing sentence recombining and text reconstruction exercises.
update 7-15-2007: I just remembered. Saxon Math 8/7 has Fast Facts sheets.
summer supplement time, part 2 (2005)
summer plans 2006 (Carolyn J.)
summer school 2006
Skill Builders
ISBN: 1-932210-10-5
Megawords Book 4
ISBN 0-8388-1826-9
Teacher’s Guide and Answer Key 1
ISBN 0-8388-1825-0
Mixed Skills in Math
I started C. on this book after discovering the precision teaching folks and the concept of fluency. I'm using "Mixed Skills" to provide "slices," which I gather are very short blitz-type practice sets. (I don't know what slices are; I'm guessing from context.)
Basically I'm trying to do a form of fluency teaching with zero training and no materials. So we'll see.
ISBN: 1-56822-861-9
Spanish 1
Skill Builders
ISBN-10: 1932210148
ISBN-13: 978-1932210149
Spectrum Math Grade 7
(an instructivist recommendation, as I recall)
We're doing the entire chapter on decimal and percent; then we'll figure out what to do next.
ISBN-10: 0769636977
ISBN-13: 978-0769636979
Vocabulary Workshop Level A
(you don't need a teacher edition)
ISBN: 0-8215-7606-2
Skill Builders: all series
Spectrum: all series
also:
Saxon Math Algebra 1
We're doing all of the "percent bubbles."
Saxon Math 8/7
all of the fraction bar model problems (Saxon uses bar models for fraction problems in 8/7 & possibly in a couple of the other books)
I located Steps to Good Grammar: 169 Lessons, Exercises, and Tests by Genevieve Walbert Schaefer the other day (ISBN-10: 0825128765 ISBN-13: 978-0825128769), and we may start back with it - although I may decide to have C. do the Instructional Fair diagramming workbooks first (Walberg's book teaches diagramming, too):
Better Sentence Structure Through...Diagramming Book 1
by Mark Dressel & Greg Carnevale
ISBN 1-56822-175-4
ISBN-10: 1568221754
ISBN-13: 978-1568221755
Better Sentence Structure Through...Diagramming Book 2
by Mark Dressel & Greg Carnevale
Instructional Fair
ISBN 1-56822-176-2
ISBN-10: 1568221762
ISBN-13: 978-1568221762
I'm thinking about having C. do an Aleks assessment....
Last but not least, we are now doing sentence recombining and text reconstruction exercises.
update 7-15-2007: I just remembered. Saxon Math 8/7 has Fast Facts sheets.
summer supplement time, part 2 (2005)
summer plans 2006 (Carolyn J.)
summer school 2006
how to find resources on ktm-2
The sidebar lists the various topic categories, so it's fairly easy to find old posts listing book and curriculum recommendations. Some of these categories are getting a little unwieldy; I may need to make them more specific at some point...
Blogger doesn't have a "Search Comments" function, so I've been trying to get recommendations left in Comments put into frontpage posts.
Here's the grammar & writing list.
Blogger doesn't have a "Search Comments" function, so I've been trying to get recommendations left in Comments put into frontpage posts.
Here's the grammar & writing list.
Joanne Jacobs on how to teach writing
I asked Joanne to send me information on the 3-3-3 method of teaching writing over a year ago after she mentioned it in a post....and it's been sitting on my desktop waiting to get posted every since.
sigh
But better late than never:
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
sigh
But better late than never:
In the '60s, Harvard Ed School developed the 3-3-3, which was used by my high school and maybe nobody else. In its full flower, it had one thesis sentence supported by three topic sentences, each of which was supported by three subtopic sentences each of which was supported by a minimum of three "concrete and specific details." Actually, we usually wrote 3-3s with one topic sentence, three subtopics, etc. We did nothing but expository writing all through high school. I never used the 3-3-3- format after high school, but I did learn to back up my assertions.
And feel free to quote me on the 3-3-3. I don't think it's the perfect way to teach writing. We certainly beat it into the ground at Highland Park High. But students do need to learn persuasive writing in addition to all the personal writing they're expected to do these days. My general advice for people who want their children to learn to write well would be . . .
1. Teach them to make an assertion and back it up with evidence.
2. Teach them the format for writing a research paper. Don't assume high school teachers will do this.
3. Tell them to write 500 words on a topic. Then, make them cut it to 400 words to see how much, if anything is lost. Then tell them to cut it to 250 words while keeping as much of the content as possible.
4. Encourage them to read widely and to pay attention to the author's choices. Why did the writer use dialogue rather than description? Why the first person and not the third person? Why this particular plot device or character?
5. Encourage them to imitate the writing styles of different authors (Hemingway, Faulkner, Whitman, Twain, etc.) to develop a sense of the possibilities.
6. I'm not a big fan of journal writing because it doesn't force writers to think about their audience. Young people, in particular, need to learn "it's not all about me." The goal is to communicate with other people. Working on a student newspaper or web site is a great way to learn to write for readers and to build fluency.
expert advice on teaching writing from Joanne Jacobs
eureka
more from Joanne Jacobs
doctor pion on writing a precis and critical reading
home writing program in place, for now
ester's recommendations
I had never heard of this series before:
Voyages in English. The Exercises in English workbooks look like they have potential for afterschooling purposes. The entire website looks interesting, actually.
Ester also likes Writing Skills from EPS. (I mentioned earlier that I'm starting with EPS's Paragraph Book, which I ordered yesterday.)
I've just noticed: Ester left two other resources in June, which I haven't had the time to dig into, unfortunately.
wanted: a good writing program
Susan S on her summer writing program
Voyages in English. The Exercises in English workbooks look like they have potential for afterschooling purposes. The entire website looks interesting, actually.
Ester also likes Writing Skills from EPS. (I mentioned earlier that I'm starting with EPS's Paragraph Book, which I ordered yesterday.)
I've just noticed: Ester left two other resources in June, which I haven't had the time to dig into, unfortunately.
wanted: a good writing program
Susan S on her summer writing program
help desk: writing assignments kids can do at home
I've finally gotten intrigued by the question of how to teach writing.....
Here's my question.
For those of us who are aftershooling writing, what kinds of writing assignments can we give??
I can't assign a book report to C., much less a research paper ("can't" meaning don't have the energy, stamina, or will to withstand the storm of protest that would ensue.)
What can I assign at home???
What kind of daily or semi-daily writing practice could I ask C. to do that wouldn't be onerous but would be practice.
I've thought about making him write a blog, and he does have a MySpace thanks to my sister's intervention (I would have kept him out of MySpace FOREVER).
But I don't think he's doing much writing on his MySpace (I better take a look --- ) and he's not interested in writing a blog.
I tend to think he needs to do some paper and pencil writing first in any event, since that's what he needs to learn to do for school, and since Rafe Asquith says students should "duplicate the conditions of the test" (i.e. don't use flashcards to study when you're going to have to use paper and pencil for the test).
My only solid idea so far is that C. should write a set of instructions for me on how to use the 3 remotes we have for our fancy-shmancy big-screen TV set up.
But that would be starting at the top.
Any ideas?
Here's my question.
For those of us who are aftershooling writing, what kinds of writing assignments can we give??
I can't assign a book report to C., much less a research paper ("can't" meaning don't have the energy, stamina, or will to withstand the storm of protest that would ensue.)
What can I assign at home???
What kind of daily or semi-daily writing practice could I ask C. to do that wouldn't be onerous but would be practice.
I've thought about making him write a blog, and he does have a MySpace thanks to my sister's intervention (I would have kept him out of MySpace FOREVER).
But I don't think he's doing much writing on his MySpace (I better take a look --- ) and he's not interested in writing a blog.
I tend to think he needs to do some paper and pencil writing first in any event, since that's what he needs to learn to do for school, and since Rafe Asquith says students should "duplicate the conditions of the test" (i.e. don't use flashcards to study when you're going to have to use paper and pencil for the test).
My only solid idea so far is that C. should write a set of instructions for me on how to use the 3 remotes we have for our fancy-shmancy big-screen TV set up.
But that would be starting at the top.
Any ideas?
crustiest of the bitter says--
"I think if you got rid of the pissing and moaning this site would be better. "
Anonymous clearly doesn't understand that the pissiest of the moaners (like myself) have flipped the public (and private) schools the bird and are homeschooling. The pissiest of the moaners also don't bother to blog about what we perceive to be a hopeless cause. I live in a district that recently lost its accreditation, and while the district stagnates in its failure the elected board and the appointed board fight over which board gets to control what. Compared to the fur that flies daily in this town on the subject of public education, KTM is a model of civilized, diplomatic discourse.
"We are all waiting for THE answers. I guess teachers and administrators are too stupid to figure it all out, so make sure you use really small words in your detailed plan."
In my district, it is very clear that the teachers and administrators ARE too stupid to figure it all out, and using small words wouldn't help since several of the major players barely speak comprehensible english. And if Anonymous is still waiting for the answers, he just hasn't been paying attention. KTM has been an invaluable resource for me, even (perhaps especially) as a homeschooler. Just because I homeschool doesn't mean I don't care about public education. I consider it one of the most important problems our society faces today, and I appreciate the honest, 'boots on the ground' reporting I find here. I visit every day, have ruthlessly plundered the archives, and daily (shamelessly) implement at my own kitchen table some of those 'nonexistent' posts on the 'nuts and bolts' of teaching not just math, but reading as well. Thanks to KTM, its a lot easier for me to save my child from people like Anonymous, who think I'm too stupid to know when I'm being snowed. Keep up the good work, KTM.
All I can say is: wow.
Ed seconds the emotion. After I gave him Crustiest's comment to read a couple of minutes ago, he said, "This is like a blurb on a book jacket." (Speaking of which....)
CotB describes my own experience writing and reading ktm, though my situation isn't dire (a district that's lost its accreditation) and I haven't been as ambitious as CotB (homeschooling), though in retrospect I wish I had been.
Nevertheless, I owe the fact that C. is still alive in accelerated math (or in any math, for that matter) to the collective wisdom and experience of ktm writers and commenters.
I also owe a portion of my own brand-new knowledge of math (Lesson 93, Saxon Algebra 2) to the folks here.
Beyond math, Ed and I have been able to supplement and enrich C's education in reading, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar thanks to the collective wisdom of ktm.
Lately ktm has helped me start to think seriously (as opposed to musing, that is...) about ways in which U.S. writing instruction might be improved. In this realm, I claim expertise. I began my worklife teaching freshman composition at the University of Iowa which was then - and is perhaps today, I don't know - thought to have one of the best freshman composition programs in the country. That's where I was taught how to teach writing.
I went on to teach freshman composition at Cal State Long Beach; then I taught college composition to science majors at UC Irvine.
My last teaching job was with the Johns Hopkins CTY program where I taught college composition to gifted middle schoolers. I used the workshop model the University of Iowa had developed - quite different from the Calkins model - and I thought, at the time, that it was terrifically successful.
I might still think so today. Not sure. (I do know that if I could enroll C. in a class like the one I taught, I'd do it in a heartbeat.)
My point is: ktm - the whole megillah that is ktm - is now helping me think about the teaching of writing in a way I couldn't - and wouldn't - do on my own. Some of you may remember Carolyn Johnston saying it was hard for her to teach math to her 6th grade son because math, for her, was "a seamless whole." She couldn't break it down for her son.
Carolyn said writing was probably a seamless whole for me, and I've come to realize that she was right. I can write, and I can probably do a good job teaching writing one-on-one by walking a student through the process of simply writing a paper with him. (Is that a good way to teach writing? Should we try to have all students co-write one or two book reports with a mentor? I don't know!)
But I can't disaggregate the global skill of writing into its component parts - not coherently. And I'm pretty sure I'd have a hard time diagnosing which areas of a student's writing beyond the obvious (spelling, grammar, punctuation) need work.
ktm is now helping me do that! (ktm and the precision teaching folks, whose various writings and websites I'll be plundering henceforth.)
Very cool.
So thank you, CotM, for taking the time to think out loud - and thanks everyone else, too.
...............................
Blogs turn 10 years old this year. ($)
Speaking of the Univeristy of Iowa, it looks like they're doing interesting things today, too.
I'm going to check it out.
Friday, July 13, 2007
the long war
The traditional practice was to teach children the alphabetic code--the translation of abstract letters into sounds and words--before turning to actual reading. This approach was challenged in the mid-nineteenth century by Horace Mann, the secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. With a vehemence not unlike that of today's whole-language proponents, Mann denounced the letters of the alphabet as "bloodless, ghostly apparitions" that were responsible for "steeping [children's] faculties in lethargy."
The Great Debate Revisited
Atlantic Monthly
December 1994
Horace Mann...... Isn't he the fellow who thought hearing children should be taught to read the same way deaf children were taught to read?
Why, yes. I believe he was. (scroll down)
National Reading Panel Interim Report
National Right to Read Foundation - history of reading wars
same old, same old circa 1995, p1
same old, same old circa 1995, p2
same old, same old 1997
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