AVReading

Here is the address for the online MCA Practice test. 

Guidelines for Writing a Commencement Address The draft you write for consideration does not need to be a final version, but should give the panelists a clear idea of what you plan to say in your speech.  The traditional commencement address has had content which reflects back on the class's experiences and also gives advice or guidance for the future.  The tone should be one which inspires and motivates the listeners. Although the Commencement Address is directed at the graduating class, the message needs to be meaningful and appropriate for the adult audience present as well.  Content, language, or style which parents or grandparents might find offensive is not suitable for a Commencement Address. Humor can be an effective minor element of a Commencement Address.  The predominant message, and consequently the predominant writing style, should be serious, thoughtful and inspirational.  Format:  This might be helpful...

At your wits end?  Not sure how to handle the growing number of students who are not handing in work, misbehaving, or just simply not showing up?  I know the feeling.  Working with a higher percentage of students who struggle with reading (and by default school), I have to employ as many tools in my toolbox as possible. One of the most important, is the call.  As a teacher, I have to admit that I’ve always shied away from “the call.”  They are time consuming, they usually communicate bad news, and they require a live conversation (which can be unpredictable at times).  However, despite my reservations, I have found it to be one of the most useful tools in my toolbox.  And when talking about creating more culturally proficient environments and practices that promote equity, I believe practices like the call are especially important in building school-to-home relationships.   Now I am going to preface this newsletter with the...

--> Because culture is so deeply embedded in language, it is often important that we spend a little time thinking very specifically about the words and phrases we choose to use, and under what circumstances.  While some might bristle at the thought of adapting our language to accommodate the latest trends and thinking, I see it differently.  For the change isn’t with our trends or thinking, but with a greater awareness of inequities that have always existed.   This recently became very clear to me when my 9th grade daughter got very irritated with the novel she was reading, To Kill a Mockingbird.  She was disappointed in the character of Atticus, who was supposed to be the moral compass of us all-- defending those who can’t defend themselves, standing tall in the face of adversity, acting on his moral courage.  But she was extremely angry when Atticus made light of putting women on the jury. He states, “I doubt if we'd ever get a complete case tri...

Life for students who do not belong to the dominant culture can be exhausting.  While some of our more overt forms of discrimination and prejudice have been confronted, schools (and communities) can   still be difficult places to navigate for those who come from historically underserved or underrepresented groups.  There are just so many subtle ways that people from the dominant culture (many times unintentionally) remind others that they don’t quite belong.  These tendencies are known as microaggressions.  Derald Wing Sue, a professor at Columbia University, defines them as follows: Microaggressions are the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. In many cases, these hidden messages may invalidate the group identity or experiential ...

Recognizing Privilege Since I first read Peggy McIntosh’s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack back in grad school, I have been on a rather humbling journey-- one where I have started to notice little things about my life.  In fact, originally it was hard for me to process.  It’s like, in my first reading, I could only sip small amounts from the cup because I wasn’t quite ready to admit some things about my life that were rather uncomfortable.                     Let me back up and explain some things about McIntosh’s article.  In it, she outlines the idea of privilege and gives some examples of how it plays out in her life.  She is careful to talk about privilege in very personal terms, for fear of generalizing how others might know or experience the world.  She explains that privilege is a system of advantages bestowed upon a group b...

Talking about race for many members of the dominant culture is not easy.  Even for those who believe strongly in the principles of equity and justice, it can be difficult, uncomfortable and awkward.  In fact, for some of us, it’s a topic we just choose to avoid all together-- which is a type of privilege that not everyone is afforded.  As one of my friends stated last week, race is the single most important issue of our country: both its past and present.  And moving ahead as a community will mean that we get used to these uncomfortable and necessary conversations. With the beginning of each Culturally Proficient session we have had this year, leaders have posted the guidelines created by Glenn Singleton for having “courageous conversations.”  They typically include: Stay engaged, Speak your truth, Experience Discomfort, Expect a lack of closure, Listen to understand.   For this month’s newsletter, I’d like to more carefully exa...

The strength of lifelong teachers comes from their insatiable curiosity. They are perpetually dedicated to learning more, discovering more, questioning more.  They are intentional in the way they devote their resources to finding new and better ways to engage students and empower them to learn on their own.   In a similar fashion, we need to be intentional in our approach to cultural proficiency.  It isn’t something that happens in one or two, professional development sessions but a constant dedication to seeing and discovering the world around us, a conscious decision to prioritize equity, to better understand the inequities that exist, and to honor and acknowledge the humanity of all people.  For this month’s newsletter, I would like to offer some thoughts about how we can become more intentional with our choices, so that we can reduce some of our blind spots and foster a mindset that allows us to continue growing in our understanding. The...

Following the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia a few weeks ago, the hashtag Thisisnotus surfaced on Twitter.  The intention of the hashtag was to distance our culture from that of the white supremacists.  However, in doing so, the hashtag seemed to suggest that these events were an anomaly, that they are the exception to our culture, and that they do not represent our society today.   It didn’t take long for civil rights activists to point out that this notion is quite false.  In fact, this is us.  Our struggle with white supremacy is not new.  These organizations did not sprout overnight or spontaneously form over the summer.  What might be new is the awareness of the dominant culture.  The events of this summer have forced all of us-- even those who might have been unaware-- to come face-to-face with white supremacy throughout our country.  For some, it was a rude awakening. Part of the problem is many of us in...

This year, using Jeff Zwier’s Building Academic Language as a guide, we have examined ways that we can better help our students “talk” the language of school. As we bring this study to a close, I would like to highlight a few last academic language practices offered by Zwiers. First, it should be re-stated that building academic language requires constant attention. It means devoting time and thought to assist our students with not only the content of what we teach, but the language and grammar of school and the specific disciplines with which we work. Once that commitment is made, we have to work to find novel and varied ways to foster this language growth. Here are a few more practices that might be of use to you towards that end. Presentations and Evaluations: While some of us are using student presentations (group and individual), we might want to re-think how we use them, specifically with student audiences. For example, we typically put the emphasis on the product (the...

The relationship between reading and writing is complex. In fact, sometimes we write ourselves into comprehension. Or put another way, we write ourselves into understanding. A rather dramatic example of this is Supreme Court Justice Kennedy who originally voted on the side of Chief Rehnquist in the case of Planned Parenthood vs. Casey but sat down to write his position and came out on the other side of the decision, thus changing his vote. Writing plays a critical role in our processing of information. We make meaning as we take in information, process it, evaluate it, and ultimately communicate it. However, there isn’t really a universal style of writing. After all, the language and grammar of Fifty Shades of Gray is a little different from a textbook on human sexuality. The purposes of each are unique. Therefore, writing a log / journal for FACS should have a different tone and purpose than an analysis written for U.S. History or a lab report for earth science. Now here ...

Click here to take the MCA III Online Reading Practice Test.

Reading Complex Texts Do you sometimes worry that your curriculum has been watered down to meet students where they are at? Do you worry that if and when these students make it to post secondary courses, they will be unprepared to meet the demands of school? This is perhaps my most regular and persistent concern in teaching. It feels like I am constantly tacking between assignments, tasks, and expectations that are too rigorous and those that are not rigorous enough, constantly searching for that sweet spot, that almost mythic and generally elusive Zone of Proximal Development where students get into that “productive struggle”. On occasion, I will steal some of the assignments my son-- Jacob-- has from college. I might post a writing prompt or an excerpt from one of his readings for my 9th graders to see. I show it to the students and ask them to reflect in writing for a little while. What do you think of that prompt / text? Would you be able to tackle it? What do y...

     As we move to more of a workshop model for our classes, we need to continue promoting classroom habits that enable students to become better at independent and small group tasks.  When it comes to small groups in particular, our goal is to both help them use their time wisely, to make meaning as a collective team, and to grow their language of school.  While students can develop and practice their academic language in writing and in full group activities, it is probably most meaningful to help them do so working in small groups.       It isn’t always easy for teachers to hand over responsibility to students for small group work.   And for good reason.  How many times do we designate learning or activities to small groups, and then realize that a number of the groups just don’t function well?  Either they are completely off task or one participant does all of the work.  Or worst of all, the...