Competition is alive and well!

This term our English classes are focusing on two types of writing: Report Writing and Persuasive Writing.  These two text types compliment each other quite nicely as in order to convince someone of something, you need to be able to support it with factual information.

With this in mind, we started the week with a Venn Diagram that helped to show the difference between Narrative writing (that they students did last term) and what they already knew about report writing.  Through discussion we came to the realisation that there are some features that are important in both text types.

This week we started to compile a list of all of the things we know about Rangeview.  We needed to consider what ideas were important to share with others (purpose), who would be interested in reading this information (audience), and we needed to ensure that our ideas were appropriate.

This was more challenging for the students than they initially thought and even though we created Popplets on the iPads, it took a while for us to get some appropriate ideas onto our brainstorm.

We revisited this activity in our second session, and turned it into a collaborative competition.  The students were split into two groups, each with a different colour pen.  They were given 10 minutes to come up with as many different ideas as they could - this was much more successful and the students were a lot more motivated!

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We then looked at the school website and prospectus, and for the next 10 minutes added any new ideas we found in our research in a different coloured pen.

The next step was to think about how we were going to group our ideas that were similiar.  When we looked at the chart, the students suggested the following groups:

We categorised our ideas into these groups using the corresponding symbols:

The students then used this information to independently write a report about Rangeview Intermediate School.  This report has given me great information about what the students currently are able to demonstrate in their report writing, and highlighted some important areas for us to work on over the next few weeks.  More on this later!

Next week I will also be popping into each of the students English classes to observe how they are working and what learning they are finding most engaging.  I'm looking forward to the opportunity to see how they interact with others across their different learning areas and to reflect these successes in our ALL group time.

Thinking about thinking ...

We had another great session today where we really started to think about how we learn.  The students were encouraged to identify the types of activities they enjoy, and from this information we were able to ascertain that most of us are People Smart.  We learn best with and through our peers.  This highlights how important the discussions that took place throughout the rest of the day were going to be.

It was also interesting to find out that we have some very visual learners in the group (Picture Smart), and also a lot of kinesthetic, active learners (Body Smart).  Interestingly, many students also identified that they enjoyed spending time in the outdoors (Nature Smart).  This has a huge effect on how I can now plan our sessions moving forward, as I endeavour to best meet the learning needs of all of the students in the group.

I would like to thank all of the students in my group for continuing to trust me with their learning, and for being so open and honest about what learning is like for them.  The relationships that are being built between us as partners in their learning, and also with the other members of the group is going to be our greatest asset as we move forward on this journey.

As you will see in the chart below, once we identified how we learn, we then started to think creatively around how our brains work.  This was a very powerful exercise and one that the students really engaged in.  The response they highlighted below was their favourite simile.

As a teacher, I found some of these statements quite confronting, but I think this is a good thing.  This reflects the level of trust these students are putting in me to help them accelerate their learning.  It is my hope that by the end of this intervention, all of these students will have developed a more positive view of their ideas, and that these similes will look different.

	My brain is like …	Multiple Intelligence's
Logan	My brain is like a calculator.  My ideas have to be figured out. My brain is like a car.  My ideas sometimes get stuck. My brain is like rubbish processing plant.  My ideas get recycled. My brain is like a pie.  My ideas get narrower as you take away slices. My brain is like a ball.  My ideas hit me. My brain is like a boat.  My ideas sink in.	People Smart Music Smart Nature Smart
Tre	My brain is like a toilet.  All of my ideas get flushed away. My brain is like the sea.  My ideas float all around. My brain is like a calculator.  I have to calculate all of my ideas. My brain is like a plant.  My brain always needs to grow. My brain is like a hair drier.  My ideas get blown in. My brain is like a baseball bat.  All my ideas come in and then we just whack them away.	Picture Smart Number Smart People Smart Nature Smart
Malachai	My brain is like a dog.  My ideas slowly die away. My brain is like a car.  My ideas take different turns on a round about. My brain is like an engine.  My ideas need petrol to work. My brain is like cake.  A slice of an idea falls on my paper. My brain is like a window.  I’m open to new ideas. My brain is like a volcano.  Ideas erupt in my head.	Picture Smart Word Smart Music Smart Self Smart People Smart Nature Smart
Jury	My brain is like cheese.  There are holes in my ideas. My brain is like a car in mud.  Sometimes I get stuck. My brain is like spaghetti.  My brain gets muddled up. My brain is like a volcano.  My ideas surprise people. My brain is like a vacuum.  I can suck up learning. My brain is like a tree that is losing leaves, because sometimes I forget stuff.	Body Smart Picture Smart People Smart Nature Smart
Nathan	My brain is like the sea.  I am unpredictable. My brain is like a giant mess.  It goes in lots of different directions. My brain is like a plant.  It grows. My brain is like a firework.  My ideas are cool at the time. My brain is like a pet store.  People have to adopt my ideas. My brain is like a book.  I write my ideas in my head.	Picture Smart Number Smart Nature Smart
Paige	My brain is like a rubbish bin.  I throw my ideas away. My brain is like blood.  My ideas flow through my body. My brain is like a giant mess.  My ideas go in different directions. My brain is like an empty whiteboard.  I erase my ideas. My brain is like the sea.  My ideas go in and out of my head. My brain is like the toilet.  My ideas get flushed away.	Body Smart People Smart Nature Smart
Lena	My brain is like an empty whiteboard.  My ideas get erased. My brain is like a rubbish bin.  My ideas get thrown away. My brain is like the wind.  My ideas flow in the air. My brain is like a plant.  My ideas grow. My brain is like a calculator.  I need to figure out my ideas. My brain is like the sea.  My ideas go in and out.	Body Smart Number Smart People Smart

From here we moved into a really powerful discussion based on the learning the students have been doing in English this term, around the concept of "Show don't tell".  To tell an interesting story, writers show, not tell, the reader about the people, places and things.  Showing helps the readers "see" the story in their minds.  While the example below was not from our class today, it is a great way to illustrate this concept.

We used a selection of photographs to help us with this discussion, and concentrated on moving the talk around the group, ensuring that everyone's thoughts were heard and respected.  Some of the strategies we used are shown in the image below.  We will continue to work on these strategies throughout the intervention.

It would be great if you could spend some time over the holidays supporting your child to "Show not tell" some of these pictures:

Finally, thank you for the lovely treats you sent in for our shared lunch.  It was lovely to spend some 'social' time together with the students, and your generosity helped us to do this.

Have a wonderful holiday, and I look forward to working with the students again, and meeting you all, next term.