With the Learners in Mind

Not my words, but hers… as educators we hold the responsibility to inculcate in our students the value of respecting others by acknowledging their intellectual property.

“We learned about dignity and decency; that how hard you work matters more than how much you make, that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself. We learned about honesty and integrity; that the truth matters; that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules, and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square. We learned about gratitude and humility; that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean, and we were taught to value everyone’s contribution and treat everyone with respect.” -Michelle Obama

How hard is it to make an outline? Comprehension is the key skill for making successful outlines; so it goes without saying that students need to understand their literary piece /reader before attempting on making one.

In my Grade 5 class, I used the steps devised by the Purdue University (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/), but I modified it to fit my learners’ needs. We did this as a whole class activity first, then I gave them another article to work on as a group activity.

BRAINSTORM.After reading the short article, I made a concept web on the board and just placed all of their ideas there.

ORGANIZE.We grouped the ideas using shapes. I challenged my students which of the ideas are related to each other and those that can stand alone.

ORDER.I asked them which information should go first in the outline. They arranged the information chronologically (as they appear in the article). We used roman numerals so it will easily fit in the main idea part of the outline later on.

LABEL.This is the part where the students will write the outline in their notebooks. We need to discuss the labels for each (one word or phrase) because some of the students have difficulty in categorizing information. 

We did this method twice already, and fortunately, for most of the class, the procedure has been automatic. Some of them just need to be guided in vocabulary and in categorizing. Practice, practice, and more practice!

Drawing inspiration from the Thirty-one Organizational Utility Tote I saw in Pinterest (special thanks to http://www.thenesteffect.com/2011/12/my-classroomin-progress-part-1.html), I tried to make my own Teacher’s Bag. Armed with a paper box I bought at Saizen, several colored pocket folders, plastic envelopes, and a reusable shopping canvas bag from Landmark,  here’s the best I can do:

I used the pocket folders to separate the papers of my four English classes. I placed those folders inside the box (the red one, which fits perfectly inside the canvas bag). The space left inside the box is for my pencil case, cellphones, and laptop power cord. The 2 long plastic envelopes (one on each side of the box) are for my paper supplies and photocopied materials. If any space is left, my laptop or tablet can easily fit in!

* My inspiration came from this picture from www.thenesteffect.com:

I saw another bag from a teacher’s website:

Thanks to Pinterest too! Organizing my stuff has never been this worthwhile! :)

A part of cultural literacy is knowing the people behind the culture-making process. Earlier today, I found a teachable moment in the context of Dolphy’s passing. One of my students is not familiar with him (surprisingly…), so I grabbed the moment to make use of the newspaper I bought and the ideas of the rest of the class to impart one of the best cultural icons that our country has to offer.

An entry from the 101 Filipino Icons book (Volume 1 needs to have a second edition already)

This morning’s issue of the Manila Bulletin with a double headline

Manong Dolphy you are truly missed…and will always be remembered for the laughter that you have shared to us.

07.11.12

Our school believes that a child should be…

Thus, our job is always a “work in progress”…

According to Dr. Mike Tan, an anthropologist and dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy department of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, one of the ways of teaching cultural literacy is thru food. Taste is a very powerful sense; it can make lasting memories to each person who learns using this faculty.

Cultural literacy has to be taught in a certain context; believe it or not, a teacher can instill a part of culture without being too uptight about it. For example, a rainy day can spark an idea of a teachable moment about one’s culture. I asked my students last week (while heavy rain showers poured all over the metro) what they consider as their favorite rainy day Filipino food. Majority answered, “champorado!” Hence, our Champorado Friday activity was conceived! My fellow Grade 4 adviser and I researched on the ingredients, cooking procedures, and a little bit of history about this sumptuous snack; we even asked help from the parents regarding the ingredients. Everybody’s excited about our very first cooking activity for the school year!

Warm chocolatey sweetness ready to be served!

Students serving their fellow students… :)

Don’t forget the swirls of evaporated milk on top!

*Special thanks to Panlasang Pinoy’s recipe and of course the advice of my cooking muse… my mom!

http://panlasangpinoy.com/2009/09/07/filipino-food-tsampurado-champorado-champurado-chocolate-rice-porridge-recipe/