NaNoWriMo: A Teacher's Best Kept Secret to Inspire Young Writers!

I confess to experiencing a slump every October. While I am no longer in the classroom, I don't think I'll ever forget the weariness that set in this time of year. The beginning of year hype, drummed up by the convocation keynote and the "thumbs-up, go-get 'em" attitude from administrators, no longer inspired me.

One year, I secretly downloaded a free "Count Down App" on my Iphone. (I hang my head in shame). I indulged in watching the clock countdown to the last day of school.

In 2011, I was assigned to teach two elective creative writing classes. I looked forward to August and September because of the synergy coursing through my students' veins. New clothes, back-to-school pep rallies, kept learning engaging. October was ripe for writing scary stories and a dead-poet unit.

By November 1st, my students were experiencing sugar withdrawals from eating excessive amounts of Halloween candy. Major store chains began selling Christmas trees; giving my students the illusion that winter break had begun.

As a result, border-line panic hit. How could I hold my students' interests? Afterall, this was an elective!

An ELAR teacher on my campus learned about NaNoWriMo and passed along the word. Seriously, it was like manna from heaven!

What is NaNoWriMo YWP? NaNoWriMo YWP stands for National Novel Writer's Month Young Writer's Project. The goal for students is to plan and write a novel between November 1st and 11:59 PM on the last day of November.

This short video will allow you to see the benefits of the NaNoWriMo project.

I can tell you first-hand how the NaNoWriMo experience transformed my classroom and created pathways to authentic student learning and engagement.

In addition to the benefits expressed in the posted video, here are three additional ways this project transformed my classroom.

1. NaNoWriMo became a path to student engagement and creative written expression.

I always looked forward to introducing the lesson: "You are going to write a novel." Some students looked terrified at the novel-writing challenge, but by the time November 1st arrived, they were anxious to start their stories.

This is because NaNoWriMo has abundant resources to support students and teachers. For example, mid-October, I began integrating the Writer's Notebook into daily lessons. (See NaNoWriMo resource link here: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/writer-resources). Using a class account, my students were able to download and save a user-friendly file to a flashdrive or to their student document file. Students could complete self-paced lessons on plot mapping, character development, etc.

Students used Google docs to draft and write their stories. This allowed me to watch their novels in progress! I discovered Twilight fanfiction, zombie apocalypse stories, tragic romance dramas, adolescent underdog sagas, and coming-of-age stories. My students begged to keep writing to the last minute of class!

8th grade students write their novels using Google docs

6th grade students brainstorm topics for their novel

2. NaNoWriMo became a path to collaborative learning.

Collaboration is a future-ready skill our students will need to succeed in their careers. If you doubt this, think of ONE job where collaboration is not needed. Hmmm.

However, our educational system is designed to privilege isolated learning often under the guise of "individualization."  Walk down the halls of your school. Are desks in rows? Are students required to finish their homework alone? Would these student supporting student interactions outside of school be considered a form of cheating?

NaNoWriMo breaks down invisible barriers and allows students to become resources to one another.

For example, my students became collaborators in their writing. They would share their drafts with each other to find ways to develop a character or to resolve a problem in their story. Some students were natural born editors and helped others with the conventions of writing. Some students were especially creative and saw places where a plot twist could enhance a scene.

As my role shifted from being a "sage on stage" to a facilitator of student learning, natural relationships developed.

6th graders share drafts and get feedback from peers

3. NaNoWriMo became a path to authentic publication.

What if students could submit and have a completed novel published AND receive free copies of their book? I know. I didn't believe it either...until Melanie.

Melanie was a newcomer and her first language was Mandarin. She was also an avid reader. Think about the student who sits alone at lunch and reads or walks down the hall with their nose in a book, well, that was Melanie.

Melanie with her published novel

When I introduced my students to the  NaNoWriMo writing project, Melanie seemed relieved. Her writer's notebook replaced her nose-in-book lunch periods. She began coming to my room after school to talk about her NaNoWriMo draft.  Melanie shared her ideas and I was able to affirm her. She didn't need my ideas, Melanie needed to know that the answers were inside of her.

When the NaNoWriMo window closed, Melanie continued editing her novel. She had read the fine print on the NaNoWriMo YWP site. Little did I know that she had spent the winter break polishing and submitted a fifteen chapter novel, until she handed me an autographed copy! Inside the cover she had written:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't say that enough. And, please, please, please wherever you read this, remember that you made half of it.
My heart felt thanks,

Melanie (last name omitted)

I recently reconnected with Melanie this fall. She is now a student at a Texas University on a full scholarship. While I am not able to say with conviction NaNoWriMo was the turning point in her life, I do believe she was given the confidence boost she needed.

Make this November part of your classroom success story by taking the first flying leap today!

Confession Reflection:

• What are some contributing factors to teacher post-convocation stress? How might unconventional projects like NaNoWriMo alleviate stress?

• What ELAR/English Common Core or state standards (TEKS)  are supported by projects like NaNoWriMo?

• How would projects like NaNoWriMo support student agency?

• Do you know of an educator who would benefit from the NaNoWriMo project? If so, spread the word!

To learn more about NaNoWriMo Young Writer's Project visit their website at:
https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

This link will connect you to step-by-step instructions on how to sign up, set up your virtual classroom,  how to enroll your students, and resources to get your students started: https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/for-educators

Ready...Set...Play!



It's that time of year when a collective sigh can be heard from teachers and administrators in schools across America. The one-size-fits-all, state-mandated accountability test is over. Now what?

Before introducing a new unit, I propose having an in-school playtime in your classroom.  I'm not talking about a whole class free-for-all that will result in your serious consideration of taking early retirement; but rather play that is manageable.

It is planned. It is focussed. It is productive.

Inviting play into the classroom is as easy as supplying a few board games purchased at a Goodwill, playdough, and legos. If you have access to Ipads and you are supported by your principal, play can turn into digital creations. (I'll share an example later).

Play can be cost efficient. Recipes for playdough can be found on Pinterest or a simple google search for teachers on a budget...um....aren't we all?

Why play?  Erik Jenson, author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind, contends play builds memory and improves parts of the brain used for problem-solving. There are countless studies by neuroscientists to support how positive emotions associated with play improve mood.

Think about the student in your classroom who is not able to remember how to get from point A to point B after you have gone over, and over, and over the instructions. Think about the student who looks sad and may even be acting out in anger.

I'm not saying throwing an activity together and calling it "play" will support students.  Play needs to be something that you (the teacher) will buy into or your stress will spill over into other parts of your life. You will feel like kicking the dog when you get home. If you're like me, there needs to be structure. Give students clear expectations. I went as far as to say to my middle schoolers how play improved learning. Make play work for you and your classroom. 

Here are some ways play supports learning:

1) Play fuels the brain.

After buying one too many games with missing pieces at garage sales, I decided to write a grant for board games. Before the ink was dry, a parent came to me and asked, "What if I could get games donated to your classroom?" In no less than a week, my campus's parent-teacher organization (PTO) collected and donated more games than I could have imagined (or afforded).

With the influx of games, I upped play days to the first 15 minutes of class two times a week. I noticed the students who routinely played board games participated more in classroom discussions. My first-period sleepy heads were visibly more awake and had fewer tardies.




2) Play builds self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is a fancy term meaning the belief in oneself to complete tasks or reach goals. One year I had a student beg me to allow him to bring his new Lego collection to school on Fridays. (He had a 'special edition'). After pricing Legos on my own, I agreed.

During playtime, you would have thought my Lego builders were given a secret agent assignment because they seemed secretive about their creation.

One day my Lego builders called me over, "Mrs. Dollar, do you want to watch our Lego movie?"

"Your Lego movie?" I repeated. I had no idea.

After watching their movie, I was awe-struck. These were sixth graders with no previous experience (that I was aware of) in moving making of any kind.

When I asked how they learned to make the video, one of the students hunched his shoulders and answered, "I googled it!"

I also learned that my Lego builders had been learning about Recycling in their Science class.

3) Play improves mood.

Ask any teacher if learning should be fun, and you'll get a variety answers. I tend to reside in the "learning is fun" camp. In my opinion, there are far too many stresses our students deal with outside of the school walls. If play can bring some reprieve from life's disappointments like parents getting a divorce, or worries over money for groceries, then it is worth doing. 

I believe it is during play when students are able to take a moment and leave their stress at the classroom door. 

Note: I invited play into my middle school literacy classroom after attending a district training on teaching students in poverty with Eric Jensen. My assistant principal (and supervisor) asked me to try some of the strategies presented in the training as part of our campus initiative. One strategy involved using games to improve memory. The first year, I had phenomenal results in improved behavior and even test scores, that I continued using games. I added "play" because I had some students who didn't want to participate in an activity that involved competition. When play became a routine part of my classroom, I supported activities with state learning standards and added reading and writing extension activities. If you'd like to try implementing play on a routine basis, you'll need the support from your administration. 

Confession Reflection: 

• How might play support a positive classroom learning environment?
• What are some characteristics of play that would equip students with skills to be successful in the real world? i.e. taking turns, social language, collaboration
• Why is it important for teachers to make play accessible to ALL students? What are the dangers of making play only accessible to 'well-behaved' students?

Resource:

What's a Lug Nut? (And Other Pertinent Questions)

What is a Lug Nut?

A. A powerful fictional character known as a Decepticon
B. A large, rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt
C. An object of scorn and ridicule
            

I confess that I learned about the indestructible, incomprehensible, incorrigible lug nut during my college days when I had a flat tire on Highway 6. Luckily, I had an auto policy that allowed me to call for help rather than tackle the job alone. Through the years I've learned how utterly deceptive a lug nut can be.

 Although relatively small in size, the lug nut could very well be a contender for Ripley's Believe it or Not edition of "Small Metal Things that Make Grown Men Cry."

Back to my initial question.

A Transformer Decepticon

What is a lug nut? It depends on who you ask. If framed as a fictional, animated character from the Transformers, the answer is:
A: A powerful, fictional character known as a Decepticon. 

And you would be correct.

If you are my husband who is a car aficionado, the answer is:
B. A large, rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt.

And you would be correct. This is also the appropriate definition for anyone who has had to change a tire.

I have also witnessed from both my husband and from movies how obstinate a lug nut can be. In The Christmas Story Ralphy helps his dad change a flat tire. His sole responsibility is to hold the lug nuts but instead he drops them. In the iconic scene Ralphy says "Oh....Fudge!" (But he doesn't really say fudge) which results in getting to taste a bar of soap.

Lug nuts can be a source of ridicule and scorn even if you have a lug wrench to remove them from your tire. This scenario was featured on a recent Big Bang Theory episode.

 My husband the car afficionado

The four geniuses, Leonard, Howard, Sheldon, and Rajesh encounter a flat tire and are not able to remove the lug nuts. They are on too tight. In spite of their ridiculously high I.Q.s and applied Science, they are no match for the lug nuts.

So...if you are Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (or Ralphy) the answer is:
C. An object of scorn and ridicule.

And you would be right.

It doesn't take a genius to  see that a lug nut means something different depending on your schema (or background knowledge). As educators it is imperative that we tap into our learners' understanding before throwing out vocabulary terms and wonder why learners don't "get it."

Here are some vocabulary tips to avoid the lug nut trap:

1. Front load essential vocabulary in context. 

Handing a list of terms to define isn't enough. I can define lug nut in the dictionary, but is meaningless without a picture to give me a context. There are also incidences where the dictionary can make it worse.

For example, if The dictionary defines lug nut as a noun: a large rounded nut that fits over a heavy bolt, used especially to attach the wheel of a vehicle to its axle. 

If I were an English Language Learner and trying to make sense of words with multiple meanings, a dictionary would make the meaning more confusing. This is especially unhelpful if I think a "nut" is a pecan or a walnut and a "bolt" is lightening. This would make me think of a large walnut that fits over a bolt of lightening attached to the "wheel" used to steer a car.

Here is an example of how to introduce vocabulary in context using an app called lino it. The board can be shared live and allow learners from cross campus or classes to collaborate in real time. This was a board created last year for upcoming 6th graders.

What is sedimentary rock?

2. Build background knowledge (even when you are 99.9% sure they've got it).

Building background knowledge should not be an option. It is only fair for our English Language Learners or economically disadvantaged students to be supplied the prior knowledge most privileged students have. It is as simple as providing a two minute You Tube video, a virtual field trip, or a picture walk.

There is some discrepancy as to what it means to build background knowledge. Teaching a learner to spell a word or "sound it out" isn't teaching the definition of the word. I can learn to spell l-u-g-n-u-t but it is meaningless without background knowledge. Teaching affixes (stems and roots) are helpful...only if background knowledge is provided as to what the affix means.

3.  Integrate opportunities for writing across all content areas

One of my high points as an instructional literacy coach was collaborating with Science teachers to create "How to Be" Poems. I modeled for teachers how to teach literary elements such as personification and language structure into a lesson on scientific elements. The learners worked alone or with partners.

Learners chose an element from the Periodic Table. Next, academic vocabulary was introduced in context (not in isolation). Scaffolding was embedded in the design. Here are a few of projects our middle school learners created. Notice the rich vocabulary and creativity that went into writing these! Learners had to investigate the element and thoroughly understand the features before writing these poems...and they had fun!

Other ideas are to have learners write a R.A.F.T. This is when the writer takes on a "Role" and writes to an "Audience" in a chosen "Form" on a specific "Topic." One of my favorites from years back was a letter from Pluto asking the Science community to reinstate him as a planet.

4. Ask pertinent questions in conversation

One of the BEST ways to teach vocabulary is to begin with pertinent questions. Asking pertinent questions are questions that are focused and specifically designed to tap into and build on the learner's prior knowledge. A multiple choice quiz; a poll; a worksheet; a matching game are not asking pertinent questions. Pertinent questions are relevant and meaningful to the learner.

For example, through questioning about my learners interests, I discover he/she collects Transformers, I could integrate Lug Nut, The Decepticon, into a lesson on story conflict. As a project, the learner could create a story about Lug Nut battling his arch rival. By questioning, educators tap into their learner's schema. This is where teaching begins.

Confession Reflection:

1. Why is it important to teach academic vocabulary in context and not in isolation i.e. vocabulary worksheets, vocabulary matching.

2. What are the benefits of tapping into learner's interests and passions? How does this shape vocabulary instruction?

3. When is it appropriate to incorporate other genres such as music, poetry, art to teach core academic vocabulary in content areas such as math, science, and social studies? How can an instructional coach support these efforts? 

Creating a New Structure to Grow 21st Century Learners

I confess that I don't have a green thumb. Maybe it is karma. My first memory of planting anything was as a five-year-old in my Sunday School class. We planted popcorn seeds in quart-size milk cartons that had been cut in half and filled with soil. It was a Bible lesson based on the Parable of the Sower and the Seed and how we have to protect God's word (the seed) when it is planted in our hearts (the soil). I remember the sheer joy I felt when the green stem broke through the soil. I was careful not to overwater. I had done everything right.


The problem was that I thought I was growing "popcorn." No one told me otherwise. And so I waited patiently over the course of what seemed like an eternity waiting for popcorn to bud. 

My granddad was a farmer and when he planted watermelon seeds, he got watermelons. When he planted cotton seeds, he got cotton. I fully expected popcorn.

I remember Mrs. Dazzlebright (not her real name) proudly handing our little plants back to us to take home. (I'm convinced to this day she switched some of the plants up. There was a kid whose plant never seemed to take off; however, on the final day of our lesson he suddenly had a green plant. I'm sure she had a few spares growing in her home just in case). I remember thinking, It's too early. It can't be ready to go home. There isn't any popcorn!

To my dismay, I was told that our lesson was over and we could take our plants home to continue to watch them grow. Best case scenario my plant might grow into a stalk one day, and produce corn. Those chances were slim to none. Suddenly, I realized my plant was doomed. I would not see popcorn explode from its leaves.

And so I did a horrible thing.

I was sitting on the front row next to my mom. As my dad reached the pivotal point in his Sunday sermon, my foot began an involuntary swinging motion. With one fatal swoop of my foot,  I kicked the plant. It wasn't a tap. It was a hard kick like when you're playing kickball. The container, dirt, my helpless plant flew across the linoleum and landed in front of the pulpit. My dad stopped momentarily and bent down and picked up the now empty carton in his hand and held it up. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Shame engulfed me.

Without missing a beat, he picked up the tiny plant that was now free of the container. He gently held the plant in his palm. In one hand he held the empty carton and the other he cradled the plant. I don't remember his exact words but this is how my adult mind remembers it, This plant is helpless without the safety of its holder. It will not be able to grow without the soil. It needs a second chance.

A movement called Genius Hour is sweeping the country. Based on Google's 20% philosophy, kids are given time within the school day to investigate what they are passionate about, design their own learning, and share with the world. Instead of teacher led tasks, kids innovate. Create. And grow. Genius Hour: Where Passion Comes to Life!

I was able to witness Genius Hour first hand on an elementary campus in my district, Cottonwood Creek Elementary. There was a group of English Language Learners writing a song and playing instruments in the hall. I saw fifth grade students supporting first graders to build a Lego castle. I saw a group of boys outside filming a "how-to-play football" video. I saw children creating a video game and learning to code. Technology was everywhere!

Kids were social. Talking. Learning.

Where were the teachers? They were visibly in the background. Watching. Supporting. Encouraging. But the children were clearly in charge of their learning. The principal was in the halls asking questions and calling each child by their name.

And that's when it hit me!

I had bought into the theory that children are suppose to grow "popcorn." We teach the curriculum, practice, reteach, nurture and love. We do everything "right." But what if we've been doing it all wrong? What if we need to turn our education system on its head? What if 21st century learning happens in a different container, using different tools, and the outcome is something we have yet to imagine?

Sir Ken Robinson says, "The current system was designed and conceived for a different age. We alienate millions of kids who don't produce in the old system. They don't produce in an academic system." In other words, they don't grow "popcorn" and are kicked out into the world without proper knowledge and tools to function in a 21st century world. They need a new container. They need a second chance.

Changing Education Paradigms Ted Talk

Confession Reflection:

1. What are some examples of "popcorn" or academic expectations that have been placed on our learners? i.e. high stakes testing scores, being "book smart"
2. How do we treat learners who don't produce the results we expect? i.e. Special programs, medication, more work
3. What are some barriers to changing our current system? How can these be overcome?
4. Why is it important to nurture and grow today's learners using a new paradigm or container? What are the dangers if we don't?