Undercover Journalists

Reporting from The City of Ember

Dear Readers,

We are students in Ms. Gross' 8th grade Language & Literature Class. We are currently undercover in the City of Ember, therefore we cannot reveal our true identities. The mayor is not kind and we must leave nothing that might cause suspicion.

Lina (a messenger) left us a task to complete in class today. We had to reflect on our Break-Out Experience. It is "code" for how things are going in the city as we attempt to communicate with the above ground world.

We would love some comments and feedback as reassurance that Ms. Gross was able to pass our message on. 

A sincere thank you. We continue to move forward in our investigation.

Best Wishes

Anonymous Students

Student #1:

Dear Lena,

Hello, I hope your day has been going swell!  Through my journey in Ember I learned a whole lot about myself.  While down here I learned that I am great at solving clues.  While down here I have also learned that I am patient while solving puzzles and I don’t quit when I'm frustrated.  While we were in a group I contributed by solving puzzles that other folks couldn’t solve.  I also helped by telling lock combos to open safes.  I made sure my voice was heard by politely asking for things.  In life people might not be able to solve things that you can.

Sincerely,

?

Student #2:

Dear Lina,

As a leader in Ms. Gross’ fun break-out challenge. I had a different perspective from most other students. During our game, one thing that i had learned about myself during this game is that I am not good at sitting out and being a teacher. I noticed that I would much rather be a part of finding all the clues, solving the mysteries and most importantly, the puzzles. It was hard for me to stay out of the group to help them solve clues. One way that I did contribute to the team is that whenever the students were stumped and wanted to use a clue card me and the other student teacher helped them solve very hard mysteries. One thing that was very hard during this was being heard throughout the game. And for me to be heard by everybody I had to speak up and try to get everyone to listen up. This game was cool because we could relate some of the puzzles from this game into our everyday lives. One way this happened was when we were all working on one of the problems, it showed us that when we worked together we had solved the problems a lot faster when we worked together. But all together, this was a great activity and I think that we all had fun while playing the game.

Sincerely ?

Student #3:

Dear Lina,

Thank you for the note! During the game I learned about myself that sometimes I get a little overwhelmed and too excited about what's going to happen next. And that solving puzzles is definitely not my thing, They take a lot of effort, which I do have but the puzzles are so confusing. But I never gave up and always tried my best. I contributed to my team in many ways. If I ever saw a clue I tried to tell my team loud and clear so that they could come over and help. I also showed and contributed team work.  I made sure to show the Pal-Mac way and never disrespect anyone, I made sure to let other people have a turn too. My idea were heard by me stating what I think. Then everyone helped. Solving puzzles definitely relates to solving a problem in the real word. It relates by showing that it can definitely be difficult but never give up and always show effort. Using the 7 h

Habits also helped us a lot. Like listening to each other and having positive attitudes. I hope you are proud of us, we did pretty well but could do better next time!

Sincerely,  your anonymous friend!

Student #4:

Dear citizens of Ember,

In both life and these tasks, you use your resources and other people's help to solve problems and that's just what we did in the Break-Out. Making sure others hear your voice and ideas is very critical and important when working together to achieve a common goal. I made my voice clear by waiting at a quiet moment to shoot my ideas out. When it comes to trying to solve clues it can get very chaotic and speaking louder over everyone else's voices would just make it more chaotic. Contributing to your team is the best thing to do when you have a common goal because it is always about teamwork. I tried to help out by doing the tasks asked by the clues and I realized that there were 2 people who always wanted to be in control and didn't let others help out so I tried my best with what I could do. Speaking of this I realized that I didn't like being in the background and that I wanted to be in control and be more of a leader. But on the other hand my strength is to encourage others to better themselves and to be supportive. Can't wait to take another chance and to help save you all!

Sincerely,

a go getter

Student #5:

Dear Lina

While trying to provide light to the city of Ember a lot of things went very well but things also need a little improvement. Also I learned a lot about myself as well. I learned that I am not very good at solving puzzles but I am a good communicator. Furthermore I contributed to my group by communicating well with others. Using my communicating skills I made sure my ideas were heard by not trying to yell at others but by getting their attention in a calm manner before stating my ideas. Solving the puzzles to restore light to the city helped me because when I need to solve problems later in life I will know how to communicate with others and using my thinking skills.

sincerely , ?

Student #6:

Dear Lina,  

In this game I wasn't a player I was a leader. During the game I learned a lot about myself. I helped the players understand the game more. I gave them good hints when they needed it. I also think I contributed  to the team because when they were confused and I helped them through it. I was there when they needed it but I wasn't in there way. I made sure my ideas were heard because they kind of needed me when they were stuck but also I was a leader and they listened to me because of that. In the game there was a lot of puzzles and tasks that we had to go through they were complicated but it will help us with real life to. The puzzles showed us to work together and don't leave anyone behind. I think in this game I was kinda a big part of it and helped contribute a lot.

Sincerely,

Student Teacher

Student #7:

Dear Lina,

In the break out box I learned a lot about myself like, that I am a risk taker. I also learned that I need to be more of a leader. I contributed by helping when people need help. I help solved the puzzles and helped open the lockers. I had to talk loud and clear because sometimes we would all get loud  and noisy. With the puzzles we all had to work together and that will help us in the real world because we will all sooner or later we will all need to work together.  

       From

                 ?

Student #8:

Dear Citizens Of Ember,

One thing that I learned from the game was that I did not like the puzzles because they were very challenging, the clues were my favorite I enjoyed looking for the clues the most.  I contributed with my team by giving them ideas, making sure I was heard, and I made eye to eye contact to make sure they were actually listening to me.  Also, solving a puzzle in a game relates to solving a problem in a real world because in life you will experience difficult times and problems and the game helped us by showing solutions and communicating with other, and also asking for help from others.  There were many hard and difficult challenges throughout the game but the main thing that helped us the most was teamwork and listening to others carefully.  Also having others that haven't tried a puzzle having them try and solve one.

Sincerely: ?

Student #9:

Dear Lena,

While participating in the Break-Out Box some things I learned was I am really good at hunting for clues and trying to keep people on task.  Also I learned that it takes a lot of teamwork and caring for each other.  I contributed to my team by finding clues and solving them.  Also by showing the Pal-Mac way throughout the task.  I made my ideas heard by speaking and telling them and showing them my ideas.  Also by being caring and waiting until they could hear my ideas and being open-minded.  Solving the puzzles relates to solving problems in the real world by using and show the Pal-Mac way and including people and being respectful to people.  As you can see this is what I learned throughout the Break-Out Box task.

Sincerely ?

Student #10:

Dear Lena,

Hello hun, I wish your day so far has been going well! Throughout my journey in Ember I learned much about myself. I like moving from task to task, between two spots. I learned that I love solving things, I especially like those clues when you need them. With my team I helped and contributed by helping solve the block man. I helped find the Malala book with two other students. When I needed my thoughts to be heard I would say hey and get everyone's attention. This is like the real word, in many ways, for example, we use synergy to solve issues. When we go into the world, we need to work with others easily. We need to know how to make decisions and share our opinions.

Sincerely,

?

Gross' Gamification Part II

Congratulations 8th Graders! BREAK-OUT!

Dear Readers,

Welcome to part II of my Gamification Journey! I would like to share my Break-Out I created! I hope it inspires you to take the leap!

Theme: City of Ember

Badges and Symbols:

• Messenger: Yellow Smile Emoji, yellow heart
• Pipeworks: Yellow Frazzled Emoji, orange star
• Greenhouse Worker: green clover
• Cheats (Hints): Sunglass Emoji, pin thumbs up
• Black-Out: Purple Emoji, purple post-it
• Red Raffle Ticket
• Green Raffle Ticket

For the first Break-Out, students earned badges as a group.

The Break-Out (See below for photo gallery)

1. Students received letter introducing them to theme.
2. Students received directions to create "norms" for the group.
3. Students created norms.
4. Students received hints and tips for Break-Out.
5. First clue was a yellow heart on envelope.
6. Yellow heart led them to a locker. (The combination was on a bulletin board. They needed to figure that out.)
7. Got the locker open, there were two tasks.
8. One task was a wooden puzzle to solve, which earned them a group badge.
9. The other was a side quest. It also required them to solve a puzzle which earned them a hint. A pink thumbs up.
10. The thumbs up led them to another locker. The combination was on the bulletin board.
11. Once they opened it, there was a book cover inside. They had to go to the book corner, find the book with the missing cover and look inside.
12. It earned them a Break-Out hint, a lock combination and a badge.
13. The 4-digit lock combination was their graduation year.
14. My students used the hint to solve the wooden puzzle.
15. That led them to the green clover, which was a box. 
16. Inside the box was another wooden puzzle.
17. They solved that to earn a badge.
18. That led them to an orange star which was on a box.
19. They had to solve another puzzle to earn a badge.
20. The found a green raffle ticket.
21. The green raffle ticket led to the huge cardboard box.
22. Inside was a tri-fold stand with Purpose Driven Learning characteristics. 
23. They created a display which led them to a red raffle ticket.
24. The red raffle ticket was on a book in the book corner.
25. Inside the book was another Break-Out hint and a pink post-it.
26. The pink post-it led to the bulletin board.
27. They had to find black circles hidden around the room.
28. When they found them all it earned them a badge and to another locker.
29. Inside the locker was a fan.
30. There was a note that said, "Look through the fall foliage."
31. The box was in the leaves with a bag inside.
32. They earned their last badge and the 3-digit lock combination which was how many years the Mayors of Ember set the locked box for.
33. Once they opened the box, there were tea lights, glow bracelets and Christmas Lights. 
34. They had to figure out to pull the paper from the candles to work the batteries.
35. That earned them a set of keys that opened the small Break-Out Box.
36. Inside were more tea lights.

Now they have a light source for the City of Ember as they continue on their journey!

Part III will include ANCHOR Collaborative Conversations, ANCHOR Reflections and blogging!

I hope you will continue to follow along!

Warmly,

Teresa

ANCHOR Communication

Looking at How We Talk to Students From a Written Perspective

Dear Readers,

I have always loved Beth and Shelley's ANCHOR Conversations. I have been using them the past few years with students, colleagues and administrators. It always warms my heart to see them hanging by the person I gave them to. However this year I have found an even more meaningful use for them.

As someone who is extremely private, I have always been a close keeper of my emotions and tend to not talk about what is bothering me. It has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is I am really good talking about difficult topics and can handle stressful situations. The curse is, sometimes I am too removed from situations and have a hard time letting people in.

A few years ago, when I was going through my admin program, I remember talking to administrators and how when faced with traumatic events, they had to be the support and strength for their parents, staff and students. However, they needed to find that balance of being strong for others while also being kind to themselves and making sure they got what they needed as well.

I think we all have those times in our lives, some more than others, when we put up a front masking what is really happening inside. It might be pushing others away, coming across as angry or isolating ourselves. On the other hand it might be smiling, laughing or chatting with everyone as though all is well.

As adults, we develop coping skills and strategies to deal with what life throws at us. As teenagers, our students do not yet have those capabilities. They are growing academically, mentally, socially, emotionally and physically. Not all of them have the support and care from adults in their life to help them manage the barrage of emotions and information they sort through on a family, if not minute by minute, basis.

This year, I have found the ANCHORs as a way to communicate with students in a more non-confrontational and quieter way. When emotions are running high, I feel as though some of my students sincerely cannot hear what I am saying, positive or negative.  Consequently, when I try to help them make positive choices, and they are feeling vulnerable, they do not always interpret what I am saying as caring and supportive.

The ANCHORs have allowed me to write to them and communicate with them in a low-risk format. Students who have been upset with me, after reading them, will approach me calmer and more willing to listen.

Thank you Shelley and Beth for this idea that has become a staple in my instruction.

Warmly,
Teresa 

City of Ember Comes to Lang & Lit!

Gross' Gamification!

Dear Readers,

Ever since I read Explore Like a Pirate: Gamification and Game Inspired Course Design to Engage, Enrich and Elevate Your Learners by Michael Matera, I have wanted to gamify my classroom. 

Not being a gamer myself, it is definitely an area of instruction outside my comfort zone. I have read the book a couple of times (I am currently on my third reading) and lurked in the #XPLAP weekly chat when I am able. The community is sincerely one of the most gracious and collaborative I have met. 

I strongly encourage you to subscribe to Michael's Youtube channel. 

@mrmatera Finding the Joy in the Journey

My Theme

I wanted my theme to be literature related and tried to think of the ultimate fantasy worlds and settings. It came to me, The City of Ember. 

Creating the Setting

• It was easy to replicate the feeling of being underground by turning off the lights and closing the shades. I also have a tree with lights on it, plan on buying Christmas lights to string around the board and purchase a couple of flashlights.
• I created a space that looks like a "greenhouse" with a fake tree, flowers, leaves, a runner and pumpkin. When it is flourishing, it will all remain there, but if the city starts to deteriorate, it will be easy to take those away. I covered the counter with brown packaging paper to simulate the ground if all the vegetation dies. 
• I found black paper decorations that will indicate a blackout. I have 5 total, the more that are hung, the longer the blackout will be.
• The light-bulb was easy to create using paint, glitter and art paper. It is the focus of our game board.

Creating the Collaborative Badges 

(will be earned based on group challenges)

The badges represent the various assignments from the City of Ember. I have attached other items for when the students are involved in a quest or challenge. The emojis are the badges that students will earn. The shapes will be part of the game corresponding to the badges they can earn.

Badges: emoji faces

Game Pieces: bags, raffle tickets, shapes

• The Messenger: They wear red jackets so the red paper bags and raffle tickets represent their role. Messengers usually are happy to deliver most requests so I chose a smiley emoji. To coordinate with them I have chosen a yellow heart.
• Pipeworks: The Pipeworkers wear orange. They usually have bad news to deal with. I chose a worried emoji and an orange star for them.
• The Greenhouse Helper: They deal with growing things and worry about the food supply in Ember. I chose a sad green face, green bag and raffle tickets to correspond to them. I also chose a green clover.
• Cheats: The "cheats" to me represent an idea. I chose little raffles with Bright Idea along with pink bags and the sunglasses emoji. I also am using a pink thumbs up.
• Black-Out: The citizens get terrified when they have a black-out so I chose the scared emoji in purple with the corresponding purple bag.

There are 5 different badges the students will have the opportunity to earn throughout a 10 week period (1 marking quarter). Approximately every couple of weeks they will participate in a class wide quest or challenge.

Creating Individual Badges

(to be earned independently)

Schoology has a variety of badges that can be assigned to students. I was able to correlate them with Covey's Habits of Highly Effective Teens as we are a Leader in Me and Lighthouse accredited middle school. They will have the opportunity to earn each of the following badges weekly:

• Good Listener (Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood)
• Participation (Synergize)
• Positive Attitude (Think Win-Win)
• Problem Solver (Be Proactive)
• Star Performer (Find Your Voice and Help Others Find Theirs)

I also taught myself how to create my own. They can also earn:

• Weekly Status of the Class (Put First Things First)
• Monthly Status of the Class (Sharpen the Saw)

Break-Out Box (Break-In Lockers)

To kick off our Gamification Investigative Journalism unit, we are going to use a Break-Out Box. I am also fortunate to have lockers in my classroom that are not currently being used by students. I have access to approximately 8-10 lockers that I can incorporate into the lessons.

Players

What is a game without players? I wrote each of my 8th grader's names on index cards and hung them on the game board. Then asked them to create a "Gamertag" name and a strength they offer to the group. Some students found this challenging and others knew their strength right away. 

The Story

One of the first steps in creating a Break-Out is to begin with a story to hook your students and set the scene. I know I would be setting the stage for an entire quarter. 

I was able to incorporate the IB-MYP Learner Profile Traits (we are an IB-MYP accredited middle school), as well as the district's Pal-Mac Way (character education). Additionally, I was able to incorporate The Habits as well. Here is a draft of a story idea:

Dear Journalists,

We are starting our Investigative Journalism unit and you are going to learn to write like a journalist. Your first assignment will be to write about The City of Ember. However, in order to do this, you must go undercover as citizens of the community. Be warned, the mayor is not kind to outsiders and will do anything to prevent his city from learning about the above ground world.

To give you a little background, at one time the mayors of Ember wanted to protect their people from all the negative effects of war, famine, climate change, etc. In order to do that, they built an underground city. The mayors knew the city would not sustain itself forever, so they set a locked box to open in 200 years, which would provide instructions for moving out of the underground world.

However, the box was tucked away and when the time came for it to open, there was nobody to receive the instructions. Life in Ember continued, but the city started to deteriorate. One of the most devastating events is the break down of the generator which causes city wide black-outs. If the generator is not repaired, the city could be enveloped in permanent blackness.

You have the ability to uncover the secrets and save the people of Ember. It will take collaboration, problem-solving, communication, knowledge and inquiry. You will have to demonstrate the Pal-Mac Way by showing responsibility for your words and actions, respect to people and the physical environment, caring about releasing the people of Ember and exhibiting positive citizenship by being an active participant. 

It is a Win-Win situation for all involved should you succeed! Synergy among the group is essential when solving puzzles to gain access to the lock combinations. You must Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood when working with others. Be an active listener, have an open mind consider other perspectives and gather as much information as possible. 

I wish you the best of luck!

Sincerely,

Ms. Gross

Next Steps

Unfortunately, that is all I can reveal at this point. I do have ideas for:

• Lock Combinations (4-Digit Lock, 3-Digit Lock, a key lock and an ABC Multi-Lock)
• Puzzles/Clues (using the book as inspiration, I have ideas on puzzles they must solve)
• Boxes (there will be one big box to break into followed by a smaller box)

Reflection

It has been a journey that continues. It has taken my about a month to create this much. I would recommend, which was an idea from the book, setting your theme first. Once you have your theme, everything else starts to fall in place. 

I did a lot of collecting of both objects and ideas. Then when I knew my setting, I was able to incorporate them and use them for various badges, game pieces, etc.

Regardless of my minimal gamer background knowledge, it has been an incredible learning experience. It has made me look at instruction differently, it has made me think about our upcoming unit differently, it challenged me to incorporate IB, Covey's Habits and our Pal-Mac Way, in addition to, implementing something relevant to most of my students.

I highly suggest taking the plunge and trying it out! Start as small as you are comfortable with and work up from there. I still need to figure out how to keep track of individual badges so they can "level-up", as well as, gamifying my instruction with quests and challenges. 

Happy gaming!

Warmly,

Teresa

Hooked at First Event

EdCampFLX

Dear Readers,

I was fortunate to attend my first EdCamp this past weekend. It was held at Canandaigua Middle School and it did not disappoint! A huge shout out to the staff who not only organized and ran the day, but to those who opened their classrooms to the participants. Thank you for allowing us into your school and rooms.

I have expressed my gratitude and appreciation for my #CoffeeEDU Group here in Rochester, NY. One of those members who has become more than a colleague in the profession, but a friend, is Katie McFarland (@Katiemc827). She is an amazing person who is always full of positive energy and fantastic ideas. Thank you for the incredible event you helped put together.

Wondering what an EdCamp is like if you have never been? Here is how my day progressed.....

• Woke up, started thinking of sessions I wanted to propose and texted Katie about 5 different ideas. (Which she graciously responded to with enthusiasm.)
• Was greeted at the front door by an incredibly warm and friendly Steve Holmes (@kylelaurie), administrator in the district. I was promptly asked to fill out a raffle ticket, shown where to grab some swag and was shown into the library.
• There was food, coffee, water and post-it notes everywhere! We were encouraged to start filling out the session board.
• After a warm and welcoming hello and good morning, we were given time to start filling in the sessions. It was quite entertaining watching the sessions fill up. It was quick, efficient and organized!
• Sessions started promptly at 9:00. I was so very lucky to moderate #BookCampPd from the library. I had a lovely group of people who were ready and willing to learn about Twitter and chats. I had a blast!
• Session 2 started at 10:00 and I was provided a very informative introduction to FlipGrid by another #CoffeeEdu member, Jason Cring (@iliketech). Thank you for helping me create an account!
• Session 3 started at 11:00 and I spent 50 minutes in heaven discussing Young Adult Literature.
• We then gathered back in the library for the raffling off of door prizes.

My Take-Aways:

• It was truly a personalized professional development. I loved being able to put my wish list up on the board.
• It was a collaborative, warm and inviting environment. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone.
• Since it was on a weekend, the people who attended sincerely want to be there to learn with others.

I am hooked and cannot wait for the next one! I hope you attend one near you!

Warmly,

Teresa