Just a little background before I comment on the technique I've been working on during September of this year...I've spent the vast majority of my teaching career (17 years) teaching high school Language Arts. Last year was my first year teaching in a 6th grade, self contained classroom. It has been a wonderful, but eye opening experience. I don't know, but somehow I thought that kids were born knowing that the heading on your paper always goes in the upper right hand corner, you never write in columns down the middle of your paper, and of course the three holes are always on the left. It never occured to me that someone actually taught them these formatting issues. This is a no-brainer for those of you that are elementary teachers - because you taught them these things. For me, it was a shock that some of my 6th graders had no idea that format matters.
So, to start this year, I have been working on the technique, Format Matters. All those little things that I never considered before, have become part of my instruction in format these first few weeks. I had to put up a poster showing how to format their assignments, I'm showing kids how to create math assignments that are neat and orderly (as opposed to a mish-mash of numbers crammed on the page). It's been a process of teaching them that how they organize and format their work matters.
In addition, I started requiring that they answer every question in a complete sentence, not allowing them to start their answer with, "No, it's not okay because..." or just answer in a short phrase. It's taken us a lot longer to complete some science assignments, but the results have been good. They now ask me, "Do we need to write in complete sentences?" on assignments, rather than just writing the least amount possible.
I hope that by the time they get to the high school, that they will understand that writing in complete sentences and in a proper format is just the norm, what people do in order to communicate clearly. And high school teachers will go on thinking that somehow these kids were born knowing that the three holes always go on the left! (-:
It is healthy for us to remember that each progressive generation of kids have less and less instruction in the "basics" we grew up with. I mean think about it, how many kids today know the following norms of my generation (seventies and eighties kid - grad year 1984).
ReplyDelete-Putting a napkin on your lap when you eat
-Hand and arm signals for bike riding
-Saying "excuse me" after noisy bodily functions
-Clearing your throat when you would like to interrupt someone
-Saying "may I" to ask for permission
-Placing bread on the "bread plate" at the table
-Having a "butter knife"
-Wearing "School clothes" "play clothes" and "Sunday Best"
-Letting women and children "go first"
-Never asking a woman her age
-Saying "ma'am" and "sir"
-Knowing what the "Golden Rule" is
and the list goes on....
We have to take it upon ourselves to educate students in the things that we believe will make them better students, citizens and people. It isn't happening in most homes, so someone has to step up to the plate....
Haha, I love this!!! It's amazing what you actually have to teach students as they move through the grade levels. In my classroom we are still learning to line up, keep voice levels at a not screaming level, and to WALK in the halls, not run. Some of my kids are 3rd graders and still don't get it. It's going to still take some time. I'm glad you're taking the time to explain and model. :)
ReplyDeleteI've sat through all the PD trainings where they tell you that you need to teach,reteach, and reteach the process skills. It's funny (or maybe not so funny) that I finally believe what they told me. I have to teach, reteach, and reteach the basic skills that you (Kari) mentioned above. If I'm not on my kids every day, every week, they will stop following the procedures I've set up. Honestly, it's exhausting. HOwever, I'm hoping that this diligence will pay off in the long run. I must say that I'm ready for Spring Break!
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