Photo by stevendepolo | flickr

“Take one away from the eight in the ten’s column, then add the ten you borrowed to the two in the one’s column, it would make the number twelve. Now can you subtract eight from twelve?” I asked Kyle*.

The reason I work with Kyle one-on-one in math is not because working with him is considered “dosage” (tracked tutoring time spent with one student), or because he is on my math focus list (a list of students who could benefit from small group assistance). Rather, I work with Kyle because I know that he is a bright student with an even brighter future. He just happens to be a little behind on his coursework.

It all started with subtraction. Kyle and I began the year working on simple subtraction: eight minus one equals seven. Before Christmas break, we moved on to borrowing.

Right after winter vacation, the collection of classrooms, or pod, that Kyle’s classroom is a part of started to track student’s progress with multiplication. They did so by using ice cream cones and scoops as a visual. Every week students would be given a two-minute test, completely a times table starting with zero and going to twelve.

When that ice cream cone display went up Kyle called me over to his desk and explained that he was ready to start working on multiplication. He wanted to earn “a lot of ice cream scoops.” Even though he likes to take his time when he is trying to borrow, we moved on because he was ready for the challenge.

Even as classmates started earning ice cream scoop after ice cream scoop Kyle did not become discouraged. He used his empty ice cream as motivation to work harder. Every day during our afterschool program, Starfish, Kyle came up to me and asked if we can practice his multiplication by playing with the Spiderman flashcards or War, where we see who can multiply the two cards flipped over the fastest.

After working on multiplication tables for a month and a half, Kyle was ready to conquer his first timed test. He will have two minutes to answer fifty questions covering the zero to two times tables. I know that he was ready. He would earn his first ice cream scoop.

“Kyle, are you ready? You have two minutes to answer fifty multiplication problems. I know that you can do it. You will earn your first ice cream scoop. Ready? Set. Go.”

*Name changed to protect privacy

For more photos from the event, visit our flickr page!

The cone word game.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Hennigan Elementary School was listed as “among the lowest performing 20 percent of schools.” The school community is working toward improving students’ English language arts (ELA) test scores. Course work and lesson plans are designed to strengthen ELA skills every day and Hennigan is so determined that they have even incorporated ELA-focused games into gym class.

Ms. Dultz, the gym teacher at the Hennigan, created some great games. She shows that working on improving our ELA skills can be fun. Here are two of her activities:

The cone word game works to improve student fluency and vocabulary. To play, Attach a verb or a noun card to 20 to 25 cones (see picture on the right) and scatter them on the floor. The students are separated into two teams, the verb and noun teams. One player from each team starts.

The noun player runs to find a verb cone as fast as she can. Once the player finds the verb cone, she has to show understanding by acting out what the verb is.  For instance, if the verb on the cone were jumping jacks, the player would demonstrate jumping jacks. Then, she knocks the cone over, to show that it’s already been found and used. The verb player does the same with the noun cones, only instead of acting out the word, he only has to yell out the noun he found before knocking the cone over.

After knocking over the cone, the player runs back and tags the next runner, who repeats the process.

The first team to find and enact all their words first wins! After one round of this game students have a better understanding of verbs and nouns. When we switched teams for the second round, students on both sides were easily able to find which cones were verbs and which cones were nouns.

Word laps is a game that resembles track. The course can be made out of cones, or students can just run circles around the gym. The facilitator of the game holds a small plastic bag of tiny foam letters. After each lap they run, students draw a letter.

After each runner earns two or three letters, they divide into teams of four. Using only the letters they’ve drawn, they must try to spell as many words as they can in 10 to 15 minutes.

The words must to be at least three letters. For every five-letter word, or longer, that the team spells, they receive an additional point. The team with the most points wins.

Can your students beat our record? One team was able to come up with 24 words; 12 of those words were six-letters each (more than enough to win them the game).

These two ELA focused games have helped students do just that—focus. Games such as these are what help the students of the Hennigan see that learning can be fun and easy.

Looking for more energetic games and ideas? Check out:

• Color Tag on Playworks’ blog.
• Games and the Common Core via Eutopia.

When the school year began, the Algebra class that I serve was a combination of a lack of focus and a dearth of confidence; this manifested itself in a competition for who could distract the class the most. This behavior was most prevalent in one student, Justin*. Justin did not believe he had the ability to learn a single math problem and refused help from both his teacher and me.

This was frustrating for me because I know that—despite what our students may think—math really is applicable to the “real world.” John Stuart, Senior Vice President of Global Education at PTC (our team’s sponsor), agrees. “The way you’re going to separate yourself now and in the future is through innovation. There’s a lot of competition in the world out there for innovation,” Stuart said. “One way to be able to innovate is to have solid math skills and solid science skills.”

Despite meetings and interventions with his teacher, and even the school’s Dean, Justin fell further behind in his work. His acting out continued, but on the rare occasions that he would permit me to speak to him he often spoke of his inability to do the work and doubted he would never be able to catch up.

After a particularly difficult week, during which not a single student completed an assigned task, the teacher struck a deal with her students: if they could pass the next quiz she would excuse their missed assignments from the week.  If not, they would have to complete their missing work after school with either her or me.  The students—Justin especially—jumped at the deal, hoping to earn that “get out of jail free card” for all their incomplete homework.

When Justin failed the quiz, he begrudgingly signed a contract stipulating that he would meet with me twice a week after school to work on math homework.

The first week was spent hunting Justin down. By week three, however, I started to see a change. Justin completed six homework assignments and finally passed a quiz—his first of the year. He started to stay after school one extra day a week and joined a tutoring program at another local organization.

“City Year compels them to become better students and to have higher achievement. That’s good for us, because even if they don’t go to work for PTC, they could still go to work for our customers, or go work in the industry and have a higher level of skills.” Stuart said.

Whether Justin will go into a STEM profession, it’s difficult to say. One thing I do know is he’s gaining skills that are valuable to his future, regardless of his profession. After a full month of afterschool support, Justin not only reached an overall passing grade for the class, he consistently completed his homework, passed three tests in a row and continued to honor the contract, despite no longer being required to.  His confidence increased leaps and bounds and his classroom behavior has done a complete 180.

Most surprisingly, however, he no longer wanted my help.  He wanted to complete the math by himself and only seeks me out in extreme cases, typically after having tried a problem five or six time. I have never been happier to have a student refuse to work with me.

On Saturday, PTC employees will join City Year Boston in painting murals and landscaping at The English High School. Check back next week to see photos of their service projects. 

* name changed to protect student privacy.

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, our team would like to take the time to thank a few of the teachers with whom we serve:

“I appreciate the dedication Ms. Belford displays with regards to a handful of students in my classroom. She consistently checks in with these students, has meetings with them and activities planned to help them express their emotions, and consistently offers guidance when I am seeking help with my students’ behaviors.” –Courtney Reecer, corps member

“Ms. Galdi is kind and patient with the students, which helps foster a peaceful school atmosphere. Additionally, Ms. Galdi works hard in the afternoons during bus dismissal—a hectic time of the day.” –Ada White, corps member

Photo by Elliot Haney

On the first day of school, I noticed Travis* sitting in the back of his eighth-grade class, unwilling to pick up his pencil. His “Do Now” in-class assignment was incomplete; he didn’t take notes or participate.

I approached him and asked if he needed help with his homework. With his eyes straight ahead, he didn’t acknowledge my question. For the first two weeks, the only thing Travis would say to me was, “Go away,” or “Leave me alone.”

While his behavior wasn’t disruptive to his classmates, he remained unfocused and disengaged during the lessons. His grades were slipping because of it.

After a few more weeks of constantly asking him to complete his work, and explaining to him that I wasn’t going to go away or give up on him, he started saying hello to me in the morning. Shortly after that, he began asking me questions during class, and coming to me after school for help with his homework.

After first quarter, the teachers and specialists collaborated and created an after school study plan with Travis in which he worked with a specialist every day until he had finished all but one of his homework assignments. If he didn’t go, he wasn’t allowed to go to basketball practice.

After months of sitting by his side in every class supplementing the support of his teachers and specialist, and believing in his abilities, Travis has changed his attitude about school. When progress reports came out in January, Travis passed every single class.

Travis has an unbelievable mind, and I come to school everyday to ensure he is using it to its ability. He is an amazing student, but even more impressively, as an eighth-grader, he is a mature and genuinely good person.

[Related Article: History Basketball League]

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month and this means that it is the perfect time to celebrate the rich diversity and unique history of this culture. One of the best activities you can do with your students is to read about the varied stories of Asian-Pacific Americans. Here are five books that you can recommend to your elementary and middle school students:

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and illustrated by Dom Lee
Combining baseball with history, this book is a great way to discuss WWII and the racism that occurred on American soil. It is a difficult topic but this book explains it in a way that elementary-aged students will understand. A Japanese boy and his family are sent far from their home to an internment camp during World War II (WWII). They begin to play baseball for entertainment and as a way to stay positive during a trying time. The boy’s love of baseball continues long after they leave the camp and becomes a way for him to connect with others.

New Clothes for New Year’s Day by Hyun-Joo Bae
This beautifully illustrated picture book will introduce students to Korean culture. It features a young Korean girl putting on her new clothes so she can join the rest of her family in celebrating the beginning of the lunar calendar. The author goes through each piece of clothing as the girl struggles to put them on.

This easy read is ideal for third-grade students. It is a simple yet memorable introduction to Korean customs and culture. It is a great way pique students’ curiosity so they will want to learn more.

Good Fortune: My Journey to Gold Mountain by Li Keng Wong
This book tells the story of 7-year-old Ki-Keng and her family’s emigration from China to California during the Great Depression. Life in California was much different than life in their rural Chinese village. The family struggled with financial troubles and racism before eventually settling down in their new American home.

This book is a great way to talk to elementary-aged students about immigration and the discrimination they have historically faced. It is sure to both entertain and inform young readers.

Children of the River by Linda Crew
Seventeen-year-old Sundara is forced to flee her native Cambodia to escape the oppressive and murderous Khmer Rouge regime. Her family escapes to a town in Oregon and now she must face many more obstacles at her new high school. Sundara is caught between her traditional Khmer values and culture her new American ones. This conflict becomes intensified when she falls for an American boy. Should she be true to her traditional values and avoid dating altogether or should she continue to spend time with him?

This story is a great way to introduce students to the cultural clashes that many immigrants must face. It is also a great starting point to learn more about Cambodia’s rich history and culture.

Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse and illustrated by Evon Zerbetz
Following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the Japanese forces invaded the Aleutian Islands. Shortly after, the U.S. government relocated the Aleutian people to resettlement camps in southwest Alaska, far from their island home. This book in verse tells the tale of an Aleutian teenage girl who’s family was forced to relocate to these crowded camps. The book follows the struggles and hardships that these resilient people faced over the three years that they were living away from home. Hesse highlights an important, yet little-known part of WWII history. It is sure to leave students wanting to learn more about this time period and about the Aleutian people.

For more ideas on how to celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month with your students please check out the official website. 

From stepping in as a substitute teacher, to running a literacy block to making the school announcements, Ms. Lilah Rossi is an important member of the Harbor Pilot Middle School community. Before working at the Harbor, Rossi served as a 2010-2011 corps member with City Year Miami and as a 2011-2012 senior corps member with City Year Boston. A native of Malden, Massachusetts, Rossi graduated with a master’s degree in elementary education at Sacred Heart University. I spoke to Rossi about how her City Year experiences prepared her for teaching.

City Year Boston (CYB): Why did you decide to serve with City Year?

Lilah Rossi (LR): I wanted to get some experience working in a school before I started teaching my own classroom. I wanted to combine that with my love for community service and City Year was the best option for me. On the City Year application, I choose to be placed in a city where corps member were most needed and that is how I ended up in Miami. It was a really interesting experience since the school system is so different than the one in Massachusetts.

CYB: What made you decide to come back to the Harbor School?

LR: I had a really great experience last year and learned so much being a Team Leader. I wanted to see the progression of this school. I do a lot of data analyzing for the school and it has been an absolute pleasure observing the Harbor grow. As a Team Leader, I was responsible for the corps members and did a lot of managing. This year I wanted to experience working at the Harbor in a different capacity.

CYB: What are some differences between being a staff member as opposed to a Team Leader at the Harbor?

LR: I have a different insight into how this school works. My relationship to the school and the students has changed. […] This year I’ve had a chance to look inward and analyze student data and work with different departments of the school. I am a substitute teacher and oversee the afterschool space. I also help the Instructional Coach and the Principal with whatever they need.  

CYB: What is your favorite part about working at the Harbor School?

LR: My favorite part is the fact that I was able to reconnect to so many of the students that I built relationships with last year. It was really great to experience the continuation of those relationships this year.

CYB: Do you have any specific advice for those going into education?

LR: For corps members going into education, you have the freedom to try different teaching techniques and behavior management systems. Use this year to figure out your teaching style and remember the best practices that you learn.

CYB: Do you have any advice for corps members as they are planning their next steps?

LR: As corps members think about the next steps in their educational and professional lives, in general they should remember the lessons that they learned this year. You grow so much in your corps year from learning to work in diverse settings to lesson planning to time management. Use all that this experience has enabled you to do. It is also important to remember the interpersonal skills that you learn: your relationships with your students how important it is to appreciate your co-workers and having a positive work environment.

Meet more City Year Boston Alumni:

• David Polito
• Allison Rogers
• Oliver Gould
• Naomi Porper

photo by Jillian Martin

When I was in high school, history was my favorite subject. I was overjoyed when I was assigned to serve in Mr. Swabodda’s History II class. Not all of the students are as enthusiastic about history as I am. Stu*, Wes*, Gerald*, and Trent* are seated at the same table in class. They exemplify their lack of interest through constantly having side conversation, not completing their assignments, or using the class period to catch up on sleep.

Mid-way through the second term, I got to know the boys on a personal level and realized their common interest in basketball. I pondered ways to correlate their interest of basketball with history class.

I invented a game called History Basketball League. Here’s how the game works: I tally the boy’s individual performance in class using a basketball forum. Their actions and in-class participation is weighted, with positive behavior earning the players more points, and disruptive or off-task behavior costing them points:

3-point field goal:

• Provides an answer to a question in class discussion (evidence and analysis).

2-point field goal:

• Answers or asks a question in class discussion.
• Notes completed.
• On-task during class.

1-point (assist):

• Gives a partial answer in class discussion
• Helps a teammate stay on-task

-1 point (turnover):

• Off-task or disruptive.
• Uses inappropriate or disrespectful language.

The purpose of the game is to accumulate as many points during class as possible. Once class concludes, I reveal the results to the players.

The students instantly fell in love with the History Basketball League and their performance in class improved dramatically. Each player boosted his grade at least a half-letter grade. One student even raised his grade from an “F” to a “C.”

Stu, Wes, Gerald, and Trent are now having fun and learning simultaneously. They challenge each other to see who can earn the most points. I keep track of their stats from day to day and calculate their averages on a weekly basis. To add a level of math into the game, I’ve asked the players to help calculate their weekly total points and averages.

The History Basketball League doesn’t unlock special powers within students to get them to perform better. The League provides instant gratification and encourages studious behavior. It makes history class more fun, competitive, and interesting.