Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 8:09 PMBy: Rachel Armour Use Hip Hop to Teach Writing One of the most difficult tasks for teachers to accomplish is getting students engaged in writing. Most students literally "hate" writing because traditional methods of teaching the writing process are boring. The teacher writes the dull topic on the board and gives the student 45 minutes to write an essay. The result: A complete disaster! Some students spent the whole 45 minutes trying to figure out what to write about. Some students wrote one looonnnggg paragraph. Others wrote one long sentence without punctuation or capitalization. Some just wrote the same thing over and over again, unable to come up with and fresh ideas. "I don't know what to write," the little kid in the back of the class complains. This is what you see in classrooms across America.

I have created a solution that will make the writing process fun and exciting. My program uses over 18 elaboration strategies to teach kids how to write supporting details, and hooks in their essays. Students don't learn onomatopoeia, hyperbole and simile as some abstract literary concept, but actually learn how to write one and use them effectively in the essay. I also use hip-hop, pop culture, music, television, and video games to interest students and help them make the connections needed to learn.

What many educators do not realize is that we are boring our kids to death. They are so bored, that they literally hate learning. They start to equate learning with pain. Most kids hate sitting in class, and they let their minds wander about, unless we can hook them. As educators we have to start marketing education to our students in the classroom. We have to find out what they are interested in and use it to reel them in. There is a way to teach core academic subjects and the Illinois State Standards while incorporating hip hop or pop culture into the lesson. What that means is that you need to throw away all of those old ditto sheets, and create some new ones. Instead of having students correct a sentence which states: The boy sit on the log yesterday. Use: Spongebob sit on a coral reef yesterday. The verb tense error is the same, but the sentence is more interesting to the child.

If you show an interest in the students, they will respond by learning. In my workshop you will learn some new techniques to use with your students. Parents can also learn some tricks to get their child interested in writing at home. As a child that's when I did most of my writing--in my bedroom.

We have to work together--both educators and parents--to provide the best possible education for our children. Children should love learning, and should definitely love writing. After all, writing is fun! It is fun to use our creativity and imagination, and then have another person to read it and become delighted by its contents. Please sign up for our workshop today. Your children will appreciate all of the fun, pop culture themed writing activities you will bring back to the home or classroom.

I would love to meet each and every one of you and share whatever knowledge I can share. That's what being an educator is all about--helping others.

www.cracktheisat.com

Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 2:40 PMBy: ISAT Reading and Math Extended Response Help If you go to http://choicesicontrol.webex.com and click on the "upcoming" tab you will see the workshop there. If you click registration, then you can enter your information. I guess the previous link doesn't work. We will cover ISAT extended response in reading and math too!

Or if that doesn't work...Send an email to rachel.armour@choicesicontrol.com.

Include:
Your First and Last Name
Your Email Address
Subject: March 1 Workshop