Ahoy matey! This was the first summer in a long time that I didn’t absolutely HAVE to do anything school-related, such as attending conferences, writing curriculum, etc., and I found myself feeling very lost. What was I supposed to do all summer? So, I decided to catch up on some reading. Instead of waiting any longer, I want to share this resource with you, my fellow educators, now in hopes of helping you find some inspiration as you are planning for a new school year. And, shiver me timbers! The most helpful book I read this summer was Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess. To be honest, this book had been sitting on a bookshelf at home for quite some time. I had heard of the author, who actually dresses up like a pirate from time to time, but just assumed the book was geared more toward elementary or middle school teachers. I then found the Teach Like A Pirate chat (#tlap) as I was perusing Twitter one night, and realized the techniques being discussed each week were applicable across all grade levels and content areas. This book was a great read for a couple of reasons: (1) It was a steady reminder of my big WHY, and (2) The author provides creative lesson “hooks” that are totally doable...even in a math class! I’ll give a quick overview of Part I, and then talk about some useful lesson hooks from Part II. Part I: Teach Like A Pirate! The heart of the PIRATE system is Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask and Analyze, Transformation, and Enthusiasm. I will touch on each of these, but will spend the most time on passion. PASSION “We are not passionate about everything we teach. It’s OK!” Reading that statement was a very defining moment, because it’s true. As teachers, we should feel passionate about teaching, but sometimes it’s just not there. How do we incorporate passion into our lessons, even if we are not passionate about the particular day’s content? Burgess breaks passion into three distinct categories:
RAPPORT
ASK AND ANALYZE
TRANSFORMATION
ENTHUSIASM
Part II: Crafting Engaging Lessons Presentational hooks are a huge part of what makes Dave Burgess’ lessons engaging. He offers a multitude of presentational hooks to ramp up the anticipation and engagement. You will have to consult the book for all of them, but here are a few hooks from each category for some inspiration. The Kinesthetic Hook
The People Prop Hook
The Safari Hook
The Picasso Hook
The Mozart Hook
The Dance and Drama Hook
The Craft Store Hook
The Student Hobby Hook
The Real-World Applications Hook
The Life-Changing Lesson Hook
The Student-Directed Hook
The Opportunistic Hook
The Interior Design Hook
The Board Message Hook
The Costume Hook
The Props Hook
The Involved Audience Hook
The Mystery Bag Hook
The Storytelling Hook
The Swimming With Sharks Hook
The Taboo Hook
The Mime Hook
The Teaser Hook
The Backwards Hook
The Mission Impossible Hook
The Techno Whiz Hook
The Contest Hook
The Magic and the Amazing Hook
The Chef Hook
The Mnemonic Hook
The Extra Credit Challenge Hook *If your school, like ours, does not use extra credit, these techniques can be used to take students above and beyond the “required” learning.
Part III: Building a Better Pirate (pieces of awesome advice)
Teach Like A Pirate goes into so much more depth than what is written here. This blog post just touches the surface. This book has provided a wealth of inspiration that will benefit students and teachers. Thanks for taking the time to read. My hope is you will be able to find something that you can immediately begin using to make what you’re already doing in the classroom even more awesome. Until next time, Sheri
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At this point in the school year, kids are tired. We're tired. Patience? Not sure where it went. We feel like everyone is shutting down. But yesterday, as my sophomores were practicing their performance event for the EOC, many of them legitimately tried - some taking close to the whole hour - even though it was "just a tutorial." So, sophomores...THANK YOU.
This week hasn't been a cakewalk for anyone. It's all too easy to see only the negative. You gave me the boost I didn't know I needed. Every day, I try to soak up the last moments in class with all of you before you move on. Most of you have been in my class for two years straight. We have driven each other crazy on many occasions. You were integral in developing the vision for our classroom's flexible learning environment. Remember our "family meetings" a year ago when we brainstormed about what our classroom, and our school, could be? You talked about what would help you be more comfortable in school. You all helped make that classroom transformation happen. So, sophomores, THANK YOU. Your conversations during class were much more meaningful this year. You put yourselves on the line and actually talked about MATH...something that didn't happen last year. You teamed up and helped each other understand concepts on many occasions. You also helped create the kind of environment where we weren't afraid to laugh, to debate, or to shed tears together...and we did those three things on countless occasions. So, sophomores...THANK YOU. I love all of you dearly. We've all learned so much about ourselves and each other over the past two years. I love the fact I'll get to see some of you in our new resource room next year...but I'm feeling that sentimental little tug on my heart strings, and I can't believe we only have a little over three weeks of school left. Make the most of the next few weeks. Know that I want you to do well and finish strong...and also know that you are more than a test score, and test scores are not indicative of your future success. Be your best...and don't settle for anything less than that. Sincerely, Mrs. Whitt P.S. - Juniors in my "sophomore" classes...this includes you too!! :) It's like climbing a hill. You start slowly, then you set your pace and feel pretty good about your progress. Then the hard climbing starts, right around mid-November. You sweat, cry, have moments of temporary insanity, and contemplate quitting, but you keep going until you reach...CHRISTMAS VACATION!!!! You drop to your knees in a Brandi Chastain-like fashion (without ripping off your jersey, of course)...YESSSSSS!!!!! WE MADE IT!!!! So many days off, so much time to do whatever we want to do!!!
And then after our two-week (or longer) hiatus, reality sets in. We start thinking about our to-do list in order to prepare for second semester. We start complaining about Christmas break not being long enough. We start dreading the day we have to set our alarms for dark-thirty in the morning again. We start wondering, "Do I even remember my password? Oh god, where are my school keys? Where is my BADGE? How am I going to get into the building?!?? What am I supposed to eat for lunch?" And then the biggest reality of all..."I have to retrain my BLADDER!!!" And then we pull the covers back over our heads and revert to the fetal position for a few more minutes. Let's go back to something before we move forward. When I worked in the business world, I got two days off for Christmas. DAYS, not WEEKS. When I worked real estate deals during the holidays, I would get calls on Christmas day from people wanting to see houses, or inquiring about houses I had listed for sale, or anything related to houses, the housing market, painting a house, etc., etc., etc. REALLY? Are you CRAZY? Go be with your FAMILY! I know you have one! I've seen them! Have you no boundaries? I had to shut my phone completely off before my mouth said something my brain couldn't stop from coming out. When I went into education back in 2005, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. Who gets that much time off for breaks? Sure, by the middle of December we feel like we deserve it, and we do need time away from school to refresh ourselves, to relax, to re-focus. We spend an abundance of hours doing what it takes to help our students be successful during the school year and summer, (although some who are not in the field of education would disagree because they don't see all the behind-the-scenes work it takes to give our kids the education they need - but that's none of my business. Insert a picture of Kermit with a tea cup here). But hopefully, during these breaks, we are able to remember our big WHY. Why did we decide to become teachers, counselors, administrators, coaches, athletic directors, social workers, sponsors, etc., in the first place? Is is because we are passionate about our subject area or our specific job duties? Maybe. However, I don't know any administrator who has said, "YES!!! I get to go back to school and work on our BUDGET! My life's purpose is complete!!!" Or a teacher who says, "I cannot wait to do MATH PROBLEMS over and over again every day!!" Or the athletic director who says, "Woo-hoo!!! I get to meet with a bunch of other ADs and schedule games for every single sport for the next school year!" But those are the same people whose eyes light up when they see kids walking back into their building after a long break. They are the ones standing in the halls, ready to fist-bump every kid that passes by, even giving hugs when needed, welcoming them back with open arms. They are the ones who, during a vacation, think about their kids and wonder how they're doing. They worry about the kids from broken homes and hope they don't return to school even more broken than they were before they left for vacation. They think about the kids who seem to have it all and hope those kids realize how blessed they are. Bottom line, it's tough - for educators and students alike - to get back into a routine after having time off. But we are so, so blessed. We are blessed to have this unexplainable calling that not many other people get to experience. We are blessed to be a part of these kids' lives for the short time we have them in class. We are blessed to be their safe haven. Have you ever really took time to ponder the fact that some of our kids love seeing us more than they love seeing their parents? Take time to chew on that fact for a while. Remember the nice notes and shout-outs students have given to you. Remember the face of the student who finally had the "light bulb moment." Remember the student who thanked you for coming to watch his game, or the one that hugged you after her performance in the school musical and thanked you for being there. Remember the funny conversations you have had with your students that, at times, have left you in tears because you were laughing so hard. Remember the camaraderie with your co-workers and the moments when all you can do is shake your head, roll your eyes, and laugh with each other. When you strip away all the other "stuff" that goes with education and get to the core of why we do what we do, you will find that we don't have it so bad. Not many people in other fields get to form the kind of bond we form with our students and co-workers. We truly have hit the jackpot. So, as I sit here in my PJs with my second cup of coffee and catch up on email, fine-tune PD presentations, wrap my brain around what my students need to learn next, and give the house one final cleaning before the craziness starts again, I'm excited about seeing my kids. I'm feeling antsy to get this second semester learning party started. I hope you're feeling antsy to get started again too. Happy 2017! Do epic stuff this year. Sheri P.S. - I've lost spellcheck. No, seriously...the icon that used to be is gone. And today, I'm too impatient to try to find it. P.P.S. - Update: found it. |
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