Highlights - February 2000

CREATING A CLASS LEARNING MAP



Imagine the classroom. Along one wall stretches a giant concept map detailing the students’ literacy learning throughout the year. It is composed of student (and teacher) work—writing, pictures, and photographs—along with stu-dent- and teacher-selected artifacts. The artifacts symbolize key or favorite stories, books, poems, trips, lessons, art, music and dance events that the class has experienced, learned from and shared. Such a map can be created in steps: accessing and documenting remembered learning and events, collecting and labeling artifacts, preparing for and creating the display. The length of time spent on each step depends on your class schedule. Advance Preparation. You are the direc-tor of your new class museum wall display and the students are its curators. Collect materials: writing paper, art supplies, scissors, tape (mask-ing) and large pieces of brown or other sturdy paper. Review what has been taught and learned during the year and select prompts to elicit stu-dents’ memories and ideas. Prompts may include sentence starters: My favorite book (word, poem, language, etc.) this year was —; I liked it best when we wrote about —; and, Our best trip was —. Plan follow up prompts for students to encourage reflection about learning, such as ask-ing them to explain why a story, book or event was a favorite and what were its special features. 1. Accessing and documenting. Lead students through activities designed to help them access, review, record and document in writing, pictures, photographs and art work, all that they have learned during the year. Use the writing process so that they will have chances to revise and edit. Take time to check grammar and spelling (perhaps inviting a colleague in at lunch or prep time to be your second set of eyes). 2. Making and collecting artifacts. Ask students to bring in or create artifacts (if necessary, teach the word) that they feel symbolize their learning, and plan time for students to set these up and label (as well as share and write) about them. (Some students may wish to collaborate.) You may wish to video students’ sharing. 3. Preparing for display.
Collect all of the writing, art and artifacts from the accessing and documenting phase. Ask students to look at it all and with them, group “things that go together.” Name and label each group (adding a phrase if you wish) using 5” x 8” cards and a marker. (Students in higher grades can do this themselves, either by hand, or on the computer.) Make a map title like Our Learning: 1999-2000, and a plan to transfer the groups to panels and a sequence in which the panels will flow. 4. Creating the display.
Assemble each of the sets on a panel (of the brown or other sturdy paper) that you will use for display. Attach students’ work to the panels, remember-ing to include the titles. If some works cannot be hung, place these on tables or desks in front of the panels. Review the panels on the floor in the sequence planned. Attach panels to the wall with painters’ masking tape (available at any paint supply store) to avoid damaging the walls. Follow-up.
Invite visitors to view the map (and the video). Have a feedback form ready so visitors can respond to what they have seen. (If you don’t have room in your classroom for such a display, enlist help to find a space outside it, perhaps in the hall, for all to see). You can start the year with this map, and remember to start collecting for the 2001 map in September!

CONGRATULATIONS FROM UFT TEACHER CENTER
ETS TEACHERS HONORED Congratulations to District 85 ETS teachers, Portia Jones, PS 96 in Manhattan, Lawrence Budweiser, PS 195 in the Bronx, and Yvonne Doby, PS/IS 25 in Brooklyn. Surrounded by principals, family and friends, they were honored on May 30 for their excel-lence in teaching at the twenty-second annual Teacher Recognition Day ceremony (along with the 57 peers also honored who represented the other districts in New York City). Speakers and presenters at the New York City Board of Education event included Randi Weingarten, UFT President, Dr. Judith Rizzo, Deputy Chancellor for Instruction and district superintendents. PS 96M RECEIVES VH1 $25,000 AWARD Ms. Tracy Wright, UFT chapter leader and music teacher at PS 96M, spearheaded and wrote an appli-cation resulting in a $25,000 award from VH1 to fund the purchase of band instruments. Ms. Wright says, “By this time next year we will have a school band in full force; children are already asking if they can join!” She credits colleagues at the school for supporting her and, with her, believing in the importance of music learning. Students are delighted: “I want to be in the band so that we can all play together,” says Jessica Mendez, a fourth grader. Another fourth grade student, Melissa Martinez, says, “I can’t wait to have a show and hear everyone applaud for us.” PS 96 will receive the award in a special ceremony at the school on June 16th.



	CREATING A CLASS LEARNING MAP Imagine the classroom. Along one wall stretches a giant concept map detailing the students’ literacy learning throughout the year. It is composed of student (and teacher) work—writing, pictures, and photographs—along with stu-dent- and teacher-selected artifacts. The artifacts symbolize key or favorite stories, books, poems, trips, lessons, art, music and dance events that the class has experienced, learned from and shared. Such a map can be created in steps: accessing and documenting remembered learning and events, collecting and labeling artifacts, preparing for and creating the display. The length of time spent on each step depends on your class schedule. Advance Preparation. You are the direc-tor of your new class museum wall display and the students are its curators. Collect materials: writing paper, art supplies, scissors, tape (mask-ing) and large pieces of brown or other sturdy paper. Review what has been taught and learned during the year and select prompts to elicit stu-dents’ memories and ideas. Prompts may include sentence starters: My favorite book (word, poem, language, etc.) this year was —; I liked it best when we wrote about —; and, Our best trip was —. Plan follow up prompts for students to encourage reflection about learning, such as ask-ing them to explain why a story, book or event was a favorite and what were its special features. 1. Accessing and documenting. Lead students through activities designed to help them access, review, record and document in writing, pictures, photographs and art work, all that they have learned during the year. Use the writing process so that they will have chances to revise and edit. Take time to check grammar and spelling (perhaps inviting a colleague in at lunch or prep time to be your second set of eyes). 2. Making and collecting artifacts. Ask students to bring in or create artifacts (if necessary, teach the word) that they feel symbolize their learning, and plan time for students to set these up and label (as well as share and write) about them. (Some students may wish to collaborate.) You may wish to video students’ sharing. 3. Preparing for display. Collect all of the writing, art and artifacts from the accessing and documenting phase. Ask students to look at it all and with them, group “things that go together.” Name and label each group (adding a phrase if you wish) using 5” x 8” cards and a marker. (Students in higher grades can do this themselves, either by hand, or on the computer.) Make a map title like Our Learning: 1999-2000, and a plan to transfer the groups to panels and a sequence in which the panels will flow. 4. Creating the display. Assemble each of the sets on a panel (of the brown or other sturdy paper) that you will use for display. Attach students’ work to the panels, remember-ing to include the titles. If some works cannot be hung, place these on tables or desks in front of the panels. Review the panels on the floor in the sequence planned. Attach panels to the wall with painters’ masking tape (available at any paint supply store) to avoid damaging the walls. Follow-up. Invite visitors to view the map (and the video). Have a feedback form ready so visitors can respond to what they have seen. (If you don’t have room in your classroom for such a display, enlist help to find a space outside it, perhaps in the hall, for all to see). You can start the year with this map, and remember to start collecting for the 2001 map in September! CONGRATULATIONS FROM UFT TEACHER CENTER ETS TEACHERS HONORED Congratulations to District 85 ETS teachers, Portia Jones, PS 96 in Manhattan, Lawrence Budweiser, PS 195 in the Bronx, and Yvonne Doby, PS/IS 25 in Brooklyn. Surrounded by principals, family and friends, they were honored on May 30 for their excel-lence in teaching at the twenty-second annual Teacher Recognition Day ceremony (along with the 57 peers also honored who represented the other districts in New York City). Speakers and presenters at the New York City Board of Education event included Randi Weingarten, UFT President, Dr. Judith Rizzo, Deputy Chancellor for Instruction and district superintendents. PS 96M RECEIVES VH1 $25,000 AWARD Ms. Tracy Wright, UFT chapter leader and music teacher at PS 96M, spearheaded and wrote an appli-cation resulting in a $25,000 award from VH1 to fund the purchase of band instruments. Ms. Wright says, “By this time next year we will have a school band in full force; children are already asking if they can join!” She credits colleagues at the school for supporting her and, with her, believing in the importance of music learning. Students are delighted: “I want to be in the band so that we can all play together,” says Jessica Mendez, a fourth grader. Another fourth grade student, Melissa Martinez, says, “I can’t wait to have a show and hear everyone applaud for us.” PS 96 will receive the award in a special ceremony at the school on June 16th.