Differentiated Homework in 4th Grade

Homework, homework, homework. Do we give it or don't we? How much do we give? When do we give it? When is it due in? The dilemmas of assigning homework are many. After 5 years of teaching, I'm about to implement a variation on my homework assignment booklet for the rest of the year.

I teach 4th grade in an International School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The majority of my students are ESL but our approach to teaching is pretty much immersion. Homework for 3rd & 4th grade is, by school policy, to be around 40-45 minutes per night. In order to preserve my sanity, I rarely assign homework on Friday nights. To help students learn some organisation skills, and so parents can see exactly what is required, I have developed a homework book that incorporates Spelling List, Reading Log, Goal Setting, and a Planner. The first 3 pages give instructions and menus, followed by 3 pages a week for most weeks.

Differentiation for spelling happens in a couple of ways. First, there are two versions, one with space for 10 spelling words and the other with space for 20 words. Secondly students have a menu of spelling activities worth varying numbers of points to choose from. They are each set a number of points for the week, and it is up to them what activities they complete.

The reading log is a key part of student's homework. All students are required to read for 15 minutes 4 nights a week, and then to write a comment about what they read. The differentiation comes in with free choice of reading material, and free selection of response starters (with certain parameters).

Copies were received yesterday, and as I shared the booklet and it's process with my colleague, he suggested I should "sell" it. I'd rather just share it, especially since it really is a compilations of adaptations of ideas I garnered from other teacher’s blogs or websites, or from colleagues during the past five year.

If you're interested, use the "Comments" to send me an e-mail (if you don't want me to publish your comment just say so and I won't), and I'll e-mail you a PDF Sampler or the full MS Word document (let me know which you'd prefer).

Big thanks to all those teachers who share your ideas. Maybe one day I'll start "selling" my work, but for now, I'm happy to share.

First Day Back for 2012

Well 2012 got off to a good start today. It was great to have my students back in the classroom. I missed them!

Alas, it wasn't all perfect. Two students late on the first day back, not a good start. Two more students missing, and my teaching assistant heading off on the Grade 6 Field Trip. It turns out one student was supposed to tell me before the holidays that he wouldn't be back until tomorrow, and the other one has moved to another school, closer to where he lives, so hopefully tomorrow I'll have my full complement of students. I think the biggest gap was my teaching assistant. I was pleasantly surprised this morning when he unexpectedly turned up in my classroom this morning to help me get set up to start the day, since his trip wasn't leaving until around 8am, so that was a blessing and a great gift to start the year. Thank you Mr Dy. We do have a replacement teacher covering his Khmer classes and I have a lovely young lady from the pre-school joining me from around 11am, so I'm not totally without an assistant, but I have such a good relationship with Mr Dy that I'll miss him no matter how good the replacement is.

Language Arts went well, and then after recess we had some fun. The PE teacher is also off on a field trip, so it was up to me what I did with that time. A few years ago I was able to purchase some "grip ball" sets in Australia, and I'd used them during Summer School but not otherwise since I've been at East-West, so today seemed like a good time to bring them out. It was a great move. The kids really enjoyed them. Now I've just got a heap of balls than need some TLC with "superglue" to restore their skins.

Maths test followed that, and then I sent the children off to art and ICT. The ICT teacher has also gone on the field trip, but by that time the pre-school assistant was on board so she was able to take that class.

After lunch I introduced my students to "Ancient Egypt" pockets. These are an excellent resource that I'd previously used at Logos, and I'm looking forward to my students learning heaps about Ancient Egypt as we work through a variety of activities. I purchased it as an e-book, which makes it very flexible! May even use parts of the material in language arts in the next couple of weeks. I love it when I can integrate SOSE and Language Arts.

Finally, I sent most of my students home at 2.30pm and welcomed my After-School Program group. I have to do 2 sessions during the year, and so this session I offered Multiplication Games. At first it didn't look like I'd have many students, but by Christmas I had 19 enrolled! We have lots of fun, and the children are practising their multiplication facts while they play. Awesome.

Well, it's past time I went to bed, but I have to finish by announcing the completion of my 2012 Homework book. It will be interesting to see how it works. I'm continuing the Reading Log and planner pages, but am changing the spelling component to a "menu" based program where students choose a number of tasks to complete, up to a set value. Some tasks are 5 points, some are 10 points and some are 20 points. Students then choose the activities they want to do to help them learn their words. I've also added a weekly "Goal Setting" component, where each student will identify a personal goal for the week, and write a plan for how they will achieve it, then check back at the end of the week as part of their journaling task. Since I've incorporated all the "holidays" into the reading log and planner pages it's a bit of an effort, but it's worth it in the long run.

OK. That's all folks. See you next time.

Five years on ...

This time five years ago I think I was in a plane, heading toward Kuala Lumpur, where I would spend the night before heading on to Phnom Penh the next morning. It wasn't my first trip to Cambodia, but it was the start of a new adventure with Jesus. I was on my way to start my new career as a teacher. Wow, it's sometimes hard to believe that 5 years have gone by. There have been many ups and downs along the way, with some great highs, and some not so great lows, but in all of it, God has been faithful.

I started teaching on Wednesday 17th January 2007 teaching 3rd grade at Logos International School. 5 years later, I'm still teaching in Phnom Penh, but now I teach 4th grade at East West International School. I wonder where I will be five years from now. Actually, I don't really think about it that much, because my future is in God's hands, and what safer place for it to be. At the moment, I love teaching at East-West, and if I'm still there in 5 years time then that would be a good thing, but only if that's what God wants me doing.

I have grown to love Cambodia, and the Khmer people. I'm still struggling with the Khmer language. The trouble with learning a language is that you really have to use it to become fluent, and so much of my day is spent teaching in English and preparing lessons in English, and working with people who speak English, that I just cannot seem to manage to learn and retain Khmer. I have got a little, so I can be polite to a certain point, but that's about it. Aside from all that, it's very rare that I can't find someone who speaks English who is willing to translate for me if necessary.

These five years in Cambodia have also taught me a great level of dependence on God, and have shown me just how faithful He is. He is faithful beyond my wildest imagination. He knows what I need and He provides for me. I'm not saying it's all easy. It definitely is not, and there are many things that I still struggle with, but He is faithful, and He loves me so much.

Cambodia, thank you for welcoming me. To all my Cambodian friends (both Khmer & expat), and my friends now in other places around the world that I have met through my time in Cambodia, Thank you. You have all helped to make these five years special and I pray that God will bless you as He has blessed me by allowing me to know you. Australia will always be "home", but Cambodia is definitely my second home.

Looking back, looking forward

As I look back on 2011 I praise God for the ways He has worked in my life. I praise Him for personal and professional growth. I praise Him for His loving care.
2011 was a busy year. From January to June I continued to teach 3rd grade at East-West International School. Then in July I taught 3 weeks of Summer School (grades 3 -5) which was lots of fun and also a learning experience. In August I took a holiday in Thailand, before returning to Phnom Penh and teaching 4th grade at East-West. From late August to December I have enjoyed teaching 4th grade again, and especially seeing the growth and development of my students, many of whom I taught in 3rd grade last year. What a blessed privilege to work with students for two years. During 2011 I've experienced God's love and His grace, as I continue to grow as a teacher and as a person. It hasn't all been easy, and there have definitely been moments that I wish hadn't happened, but I've also learned from those moments.As I look back on 2011, I'm excited to know that God is at work in my life, moulding me to be the person He wants me to be.

As I look forward to 2012, I look forward to God's continued work in my life. God's work isn't always easy to bear. Sometimes he prunes, which is helpful but painful. No matter what happens, I know that all He does in my life, and all the events that He allows to take place are for the best. I praise Him that I can trust Him with everything, big or small. I pray that I will learn to do that more easily.

Many people make "New Year's Resolutions". I don't want to make new resolutions. I want to keep working on some old ones. I'll mention them here, and invite you to check in with me along the way to see how I'm going.

First of all, I need to continue working on taking good care of myself. That means physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Spiritually, I cannot survive without daily time with God. This is a priority for 2012. Emotionally, I need time to relax and not think about school, and I need to be kind to myself. I need to build some "fun" into my life on a regular basis. Physically, I still need to lose some weight and gain some fitness. I've done it before, and with God's help I can do it again. I think this is the hardest of the lot, but doing this also is also good for my emotional health, especially exercising.

Apart from that, I'm looking forward to the rest of the school year with my 4th graders at EWIS, and I'm looking forward to a trip "home" in July-August 2012.

As the new year begins, I take note once again of Paul's words to the Philippians:

“I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.” Philippians 3:12-14

As you read my blog this year, I pray that you will also be encouraged to keep looking forward to the ultimate goal of being who God wants you to be. Will pray for me as I keep looking forward, learning from the past and knowing God's grace and peace in ways that are beyond our human understanding. God is good and He loves me.

Last Day Before the Holidays!

Holidays are finally here, but it was definitely a different "end of year" to those at many other schools. To start with, unlike at home in Australia, it is not the end of the school year, so we aren't have end of year concerts or graduation ceremonies or any such things. Secondly, as a secular school in a mostly Buddhist country, celebration of Christmas isn't exactly high on the agenda. Then, in addition to that, the holidays are only two weeks long! The weather isn't that different to what I'd be experiencing at home in Australia, although maybe it's a little cooler than some Christmases (though warmer than it may be this year).

So what did we do for the last day of school. Well, I don't believe in last days being one big holiday, but I do believe in having some fun and making the day a little different, so instead of a 35 word spelling test to start the day we had a mathematics test! Don't worry, it was a short one! After that we did some editing, and then split for our Language Arts time. The first group is reading "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary, which they are really enjoying, while the second group are reading "Fudge-a-Mania" by Judy Blume. They are having a lot of fun with that. I've given each of the children a character, so when we read aloud, they read aloud what their character says. As well as making the reading more fun, it means they have to stay focused or they miss their character's lines, which is embarrassing.

Next comes recess, and then it was time for our "Go For Green" class auction. Highly prized items were a plush puppy, and pencil cases filled with coloured pencils. "Angry Birds" rulers were also in demand. Several of the children seemed to be collecting a variety of rulers, which was interesting. Bendy pencils were also popular, so I stocked up on them again today. After everyone had spent their "tickets", we did a "cubby" tidy out, and I sent home any bits and pieces that needed to go, along with quite a bit of returned work, and school calendars. Once all was tidy, and belongings in backpacks ready to go, the children were given a double length "Fun Friday" so out came jigsaw puzzles, games, and even a book or two.

After lunch, the children went back upstairs to collect all their belongings, then came downstairs again for a surprise. By the time they arrived, I had served up 21 bowls of chocolate ice cream! Now that is a quick way to put a smile on the faces of 21 nine or ten year olds! They enjoyed their ice cream followed by a quick game before it was time to go home!  What a great way to end the year. They had earned their treat, and they all appreciated it. While I'm enjoying the fact that I'm on holidays for a couple of weeks, I'm also looking forward to their return in two weeks time! School is hard work, but it's fun too. I love my kids, and they make all the effort worth while. Praise God that He has chosen this way for me to serve Him, because it's a privilege to serve Him by teaching children.

Teaching might not pay much, but the rewards are awesome!

I love that this year I've had the opportunity to teach many of my 3rd grade students in 4th grade. We work in two groups for English Language Arts, and one of my groups is currently reading "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" by Beverly Cleary. It's a fun book and they are enjoying it. Having used the book last year with a different group of students, these lessons are easy to prepare for, but that's not what I'm enjoy the most. This afternoon I had a chance to take a look at one of my student's written responses to some questions about the first two chapters. If I didn't know better I'd think I'd picked up the wrong book. I am so impressed with this student's work. I'm not saying he has interpreted and answered all the questions "correctly", but he has used complete sentences, and his responses show some thought. His handwriting is incredibly neat, and it is obvious that he is really taking a great deal of pride in his work. I'm really looking forward to writing his report card soon. What a privilege to make a difference in this youngster's life, and to see such growth in his abilities and maturity.

Then this afternoon my class were working on a social studies activity. We had spent time last Thursday exploring Egypt through our atlases, using half a dozen pages with maps and charts giving all sorts of information, from climate to economics. Yesterday I provided them with a note-taking worksheet, with 4 boxes headed "Draw It" and 3 lines for each box, headed "Write It". I turned the students loose with the atlases again, working with partners, and asked them to write and draw about what they learned from the atlases. They didn't finish yesterday, so I let them have another session this afternoon. When the time came to say "pack up", I was greeted with groans. They were really enjoying what they were doing. Some were finished, and had started a drawing on the back, while others have taken them home to finish off tonight. I've had a quick look at the finished ones and it's amazing some of the things the students have noted. Definitely an activity to repeat. Learning is supposed to be fun, so it's great when the students think it is.

Two days to go! I wonder how much more learning we can pack into those two days. We'll fit some fun in as well. Time for trading in "Go For Green" and "Homework" tickets for treasures like bendy pencils, sets of coloured pencils, and other fun items. And there's a special treat coming on Friday afternoon, but I'm not telling what it is or it won't be a surprise! Stay tuned for photos of the day before the holidays!

Weather Report

For those of you who think that the weather in Cambodia is just hot, hot or hotter, well I have news for you. There are actually 3 seasons here in Cambodia. The hot wet season, the cool dry season and the hot dry season. We've just been through the hot wet season and are currently enjoying the cool dry season. For the record, everything is relative here! Consider this.

Today we reached a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius, and tonight it is forecast to get down to a low of 19 degrees. Brrr! Some of my students were wearing their winter coats this morning! After all it did get down to just 25 degrees overnight. I will admit that I did not enjoy my cold shower this morning by candlelight. Yes, the electricity was off this morning when I woke up, and as my bathroom is an internal room I needed a candle in there. To get hot water I need electricity, since we have small wall heaters rather than the big storage style heaters that are common in Australia. It heats it as you want it, so if the power is off, so is your hot water. Cold shower this morning was a bit chilly.

Will we swim this week? Hmmm. We'll see how many boys turn up without their swim suits tomorrow because it's too cold! Mind you, the pool never gets particularly warm as it is pretty much enclosed and gets very little sun.

It's been funny watching people's comments on Facebook about the cooler weather. Some are saying it's cold, while others are just enjoying the pleasantness of lower than usual temperatures with low humidity. It is a pleasant change after the hot and sticky weather of the rainy season. As I said earlier, everything is relative! When it has been 35 degrees Celsius or hotter, with humidity between 80 and 100%, then 30 degrees with 50% humidity is truly very pleasant.

Wherever you may be reading this, I hope you are enjoying pleasant weather, and if it's not so pleasant, then I hope you have a more pleasant time coming up to look forward to.