The Rules of Sentences

Today I gave my students five simple rules:
1) A sentence is a complete thought.
2) A sentence has a subject and a verb.
3) A sentence starts with a capital letter.
4) A sentence ends with an end mark.
5) A sentence makes sense.

Students at the emerging level of written language always seem to struggle with sentence writing, and as they mature, and their spoken language increases in complexity, it sometimes doesn't get any easier for them. Run-on sentences and sentence fragments are a constant bane to middle school writers (and the teachers who read their work).
After giving the kids these rules, I asked them to write five sentences. Upon evaluating the sentences, I told them which rule they had violated, and they were quick to make their corrections.
Later, when they were working on the class blog, they suffered greatly from run-on-itis. I simply asked them to take a close look at the loooonnnnnggggg sentence, and pick out one part of it that made sense. Once they had a part, I told them to use rules 3 and 4 on that part. We went through the entire thing until they were doing it on their own. Our class blog post is run-on free. All sentences have capitals and ending punctuation. And on a strictly grammatical level, it makes sense.

Back-to-School

I have always looked forward to the beginning of a new school year. For many years, my anticipation has been enhanced by the fact that I had spent a lot of my summer hours doing curriculum mapping, developing lesson ideas, trying out science demos, visiting potential field trip locations, and many other preparatory activities that I seldom have enough time to do thoroughly after the school year starts. These things have never been drudgery for me, and I've never begrudged the time spent doing them - in fact, I enjoy them, as they are an outlet for the creativity and fun that make teaching such a joy for me.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances a few years ago, I found myself spending the last few summers either teaching in a year-round program that had no significant break, or looking for a new job. In the latter case, it's nearly impossible to use summer to prepare for fall, since there's no way of knowing what fall will bring.

This year I was fortunate enough to find a teaching position in a district that hired early. I have been able to spend the past several weeks preparing, brainstorming new ideas, researching, and creating.

Next week is crunch-time. Am I ready? I hope so. There will be much to learn of a new community, school procedures, and lots and lots of new names and faces. But I am once again facing this new beginning inspired and excited to implement the ideas I have been working on.

I will miss sleeping after 8am. I will miss spending lazy afternoons out at the stable, reading in the shade while my horses graze. I will miss the spontaneity with which I can decide to go to the city, or the flexibility with which I can schedule a game of golf. And, sadly, once again there are a dozen projects that either never got finished or never got started.

But school starts next week, and I CAN'T WAIT!

Go to the Zoo

It isn't enough just to go to the zoo. If you really want an educational experience, you need a plan. Are there questions about animals or habitats you'd like answered? Make a list before you go. Have a goal in mind for the animals and exhibits you plan to visit. Perhaps you'd like to compare the anatomical adaptations of grass-eating animals of different sizes. How are an elephant and an antelope alike; how are they different. How have they adapted to their natural habitat? How is human activity affecting them in the wild? How are aquatic mammals and land mammals alike and how are they different?

To enhance learning, it doesn't really matter what questions you ask, or what animals you study, or what goals you set. The important thing is that children have an opportunity to think like scientists. The teacher or parent or chaperone need not have the answers; most of the answers are in the exhibits. Docents are available to answer questions or direct you to answers. The best answers are the ones obtained through observation. The ability to watch an animal in an exhibit long enough to make observations is one of the most important study skills a child can obtain. Impatient kids, who are frustrated because the animals are sleeping, or just sitting there, or the kids who feel it necessare to see every single animal in the zoo, can be assisted through the observation process by giving them open-ended tasks, rather than simple questions. For example, asking them to list all of the verbs they can observe in an animal's enclosure, or having them draw a picture of the animal or some aspect of the habitat can slow them down a bit. Another possible activity is to revisit the same animal several times during the visit - say, every 15 minutes - and recording their activities in a notebook is one way to focus their attention on details and growing their observation skills.

All the camels were just lying around, when one of them lifted her head and yawned.

And stretched. And rolled on her back a little. Then put her head back down and relaxed again.

Don't you just love the look on her face? She just sat there and watched her girlfriend rolling and kicking.

A camera can make a trip to the zoo more fun, but it is difficult to get great pictures of the animals without a zoom. So, again, having a goal for picture-taking helps. For example, comparing anatomical parts can be done by looking at pictures.

Camel Feet.

Giraffe Feet

Zebra Feet.

Bear Feet.

Do Science on Vacation

A lot of us are planning stay-cations this summer, but that doesn't mean no opportunities for science in our lives. Summer and science are made for each other!

Are you going to the beach? Where did all that sand come from? How do waves form, and what is an undertow? A rip current? Sand dunes? What lives in the water? On the shore? How are shore birds different from perching birds? Is sand a solid or a liquid? What kind of rocks are on the beach, and where did they come from? Are there shells? How did beach glass get that way?

Few, if any, urban areas are without a place to hike within an easy drive for a day trip. There is so much science to discover on a nature walk! Can you be quiet enough to see and hear different kinds of birds? How many different kinds of trees can you identify? Take a field guide with you. Or take notes and make sketches, then look up the species when you get home. Or use a digital camera and a notebook. What about wildflowers? Mushrooms(do not eat)? Insects? Are you stealthy enough to see mammals? Maybe their footprints? Does a walk in a park or preserve make you wonder about the human impact on these places? Maybe there is a naturalist program you'd like to hear, or a volunteer program you'd like to join? Contact your state Department of Natural Resources for more information.

Even closer to home, what's in your neighborhood? Go outside and see!

Put a little philanthropy in your summer.

Make 'em Beg to Practice Math - With Games

School's been out for a month; seems like a year to the kids. If you haven't the heart (or the stomach) to make them practice those math skills, how about a game that the whole family can enjoy? Yes, they will enjoy it, even if it means putting down the Wii-mote for a while, because kids love games they can win, they love interacting with each other and with you, and they love dice.

This game is easier than Yahtzee, uses five dice, and is all about luck. So anyone can play, and anyone can win.

No workbooks, no answer sheet, no fussing or whining. Just some good family interaction and easy addition and subtraction.

Playing the multiplication variation of this game gives practice in multiplication and in problem-solving as players must make strategic decisions regarding combinations of dice.