As I've said before, I'm a themes person. I love me some themes. (See, I love them so much I use improper grammar.) I may use themes a little more extremely than some, but that's because they work for me. Thankfully, my coworkers are pretty psyched to use themes to tie our lessons together as well, so it works for us!
  When I say themes I mean all kinds. I mean the universal themes of life, but I also mean themes as in birthday party themes. Anything that ties together the lesson and goals, I consider a possible theme for the day or unit or week. They can be extreme, but sometimes they are as simple as playing a song before the bell rings that inconspicuously ties into your objective. If you're still wondering what I mean by themes, see my classroom post on The McGordon Games. That's the theme we're currently using in class.
  Besides our McGordon Games theme, another one of my favorites is when we're studying clauses in grammar. Nathan Garvin had a great presentation that used a good looking Santa Claus and a really depressed looking Santa to help explain the different types of clauses in grammar. The lesson used these Santas to represent independent and dependent clauses. I loved it, so we've continued to use the Santa theme over the years, adding to it as we go. We'll play music as they enter for the day, we'll dress up, we'll watch a dumb YouTube video, we'll practice with an activity I call "Ho! Ho! Ho! or No! No! No!", etc.
  This post is titled "Spotify Your Classroom" because I believe Spotify can really help add to your classroom atmosphere and themes. If you've never heard of Spotify, check it out here. I use Spotify every day. Again, my partner in crime, Nathan, introduced it to me and said that he allowed each class to submit songs for a class playlist. Highly recommend that! They love it. I usually have students submit mellow (clean!) songs through Google Classroom for a writing playlist. As we're writing during the year, we can listen to songs they enjoy.
  Once I started using it for a class playlist, like Nathan suggested, the ideas just started rolling. I have tons of playlists now for whatever the theme of the day or week or lesson is. The playlist might just have one song, or it might be a slew of songs. Either way I can easily click on the playlist at anytime during the class.  Here are just a few of my playlists:

  As you can see, some of these playlists have a theme, but some of them are songs that have to do with a certain concept. Either way, they can really help connect students to the objectives of the day. Do you use playlists in your classroom? I'd love to hear some or connect with you on Spotify. Thanks for reading!

Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR

​*This post is the author's sole opinion and is in no way affiliated with Spotify.
Photo from 
​https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spotify_logo_horizontal_black.jpg

  This week, we're analyzing our third song of the year, so we chose Bob Dylan's classic song, "The Times They are A-Changin'." How fitting as patiently wait for the results on this election day. Also fitting because our new theme of the six-weeks is the idea of change.
  I highly recommend the concept of using an over-arching theme to tie your teaching units together. We've always wanted to have themes, (some people have essential questions) but this year, we're really making it happen. It's definitely increased the meaningfulness and flow of our 7th grade ELAR classes. Everything seems to have more of a purpose. So far, we've focused on the themes of identity and relationships, so we thought the next theme we'd address would be change. We're also thinking that the idea of change will fit perfectly into so many current events: Bob Dylan winning the Pulitzer Prize for literature, changes in technology, changes in government, and it'll fit perfectly with our upcoming unit on expository text. As you can see, we still have units of study as planned by our district. So far, we've studied fiction, poetry, and drama. Within these units of learning, we pull resources to tie-in with our theme. So we're still teaching fiction, but we're pulling resources that all touch on the theme of identity. Or, we're teaching poetry and drama, but we're pulling texts that relate to the theme of relationships. 
  For this upcoming expository reading and writing unit, we'll use the theme of change to guide our reading of texts on civil rights and current events, and then we'll make our way into the holidays by exploring the changing of the seasons and how holiday traditions change depending on where you go. I think we might even write about how a person can change the world! We shall see.
  Do you use themes to guide your units? If so, let us know what themes you use. And if you need a good song/poem to analyze in the coming weeks, definitely give this Dylan song a try. Because whether we like it or not, the times, they really are a-changin'.  

Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR 
  
  

  It's official. After nine years of teaching, I went on my first, official, classroom field trip today! We took our Pre-AP ELA classes to see the original two-act play called Encore! by Chamber Theatre Productions. 
  It's a creative take on classic stories: "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", "The Monkey's Paw", "The Necklace", and "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." (They also threw in "The Raven.") 
  It was a small, simple stage with a rotation of 5 actors playing all the roles. Actually, it's the same play I SAW as a 7th grade student. I still remember it, so I was hoping to create a similar experience for my students, something they could remember from their 7th grade year. While it isn't my favorite play of all time, it's a great introduction to theatre, and I'm really excited that my students got to experience drama first-hand, in the middle of our study of drama, around Halloween, by watching some creepy plays. What more could a teacher ask for really?
  I can't wait to see what they thought tomorrow. I plan on having them write a critique and analyze the use of lighting and sound techniques.
  Anywho, just wanted to share because I was pretty excited! Whether it's introducing them to classic literature, theatre, famous music, art, or dance, I highly suggest introducing your students to some culture. It's sure to make them more well-rounded humans. The sooner they realize that the world is a big, wide-open place filled with opportunities the more their desires and knowledge will grow.

Megan Gordon 
7th Grade ELAR
*All photos from ​http://www.chambertheatre.com/ourshows/encore

  I'll admit, with all the social media platforms, it's hard to stay up-to-date, but  make sure that you're not wasting your days away "living" online. In my opinion, as an educator, a good balance must be struck. Being a part of some kind of social media can greatly increase your classroom environment and engagement.
  I joined Twitter in 2014, but I didn't really start taking full advantage of it until this year. I say that I'm taking advantage of it because it has added tremendously to my classroom this year. We are basically still in month two, and I've already had some killer things happen because of Twitter.

1. I've joined George Couros' Innovator's Mindset Massive Open Online Course. It's been a great tool to connect with other educators who are trying to be innovative. There's a Twitter hashtag and weekly postings by educators all around the world. We're asked to comment on each other's posts, and there's also a Facebook Group to connect. I've been able to connect with all kinds of educators and innovative thinkers because of this.
2. I've joined #2ndaryELA for their weekly Twitter Chats on Tuesday nights at 7pm central. (This group also has a FB group for secondary ELA teachers.) This group is AMAZING! We share files, send emails with resources, have each other's contact information, give/ask for advice, etc. I've gained so many tools and suggestions from being a part of this. If you're a secondary ELA teacher, I highly recommend it. It's my TOP resource right now. Go join. Now. 
3. My class tweets have been liked, and comments have been made, by several important people! This has been tremendous for my classroom! When students see that what we're doing in class has effects in the real world, it's great! They feel validated and learning becomes even more meaningful.

Here are our favorite face-melting moments to far:
*The real Veruca Salt, Julie Dawn Cole, liked one of our Tweets when my class was studying Willy Wonka for our WGMS Film School. Yowza!

*We read, listened to, analyzed, and debated a song from the super-talented Josh Ritter. He answered our question and tweeted us back with some very kind remarks. Twice!

*We created some blackout poems last year. Austin Kleon liked and tweeted us back. Boom!

*We listened to and watched "Monsters in My Stomach," "Money," and "Dating Myself" by Def Jam Poet, Poetri, and get this...I talked to him on the phone!!! WHAT?!! You don't understand. He's a celebrity in my class. I mean, he really is a celebrity, but my students and I LOVE him. He was super nice and just what you'd expect. Are you kidding me?! On. the. phone.

  I highly recommend that you start getting connected in a way that makes sense for you. Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or Blogging...social media can really help you level up in the classroom. 

Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR

*All pictures from twitter.com

I have several favorite poems that I share with students. Here's Daniel Beaty's "Knock Knock". If you're ready to have deep, powerful conversations with your students, have them watch this. We watch it several times to pick up the topic, themes, and use of figurative language.

Did you tear-up? Because I do. Every. Single. Time. I watched it 10 times today. Teared-up 10 times.

The best commentary I had today was a student who understood and explained how Beaty used the onomatopoeia "knock knock" to represent the changes that the speaker undergoes. He said that at first, the "knock knock" is a game, and it's a good thing the speaker shares with his father. Then, the "knock knock" becomes the problem as the speaker is trying to knock on the prison doors and the window of his father's cell, but it's blocking their relationship. It makes its final transition as it becomes Beaty's power. He uses the "knock knock" to break down barriers and heal himself. Wow. I was pretty speechless. This student is a 7th grader. I'm so glad I get to teach such thoughtful human beings. I'm also thankful for poets who share their words and experiences with the world.

If you need a good poem to relate back to themes, figurative language, or perspectives, I highly recommend this poem.

​Enjoy!

Megan Gordon
7th Grade ELAR

  Below is one of my favorite motivational speeches. Well, it's not technically a speech, but it motivates me. Whenever I'm feeling disappointed with the work or activities I'm creating for my students, I take a second to listen to Ira. I used to apply his words solely to my musical endeavors. (Along with teaching, I'm a singer song writer. And even before my first album was released, I wasn't that excited about it.) I didn't really understand why I was so disappointed until years later when I saw this video. It all made sense.  
  Every time I watch it since then, it encourages me in a new aspect of my life. Today, I stumbled back upon it, and was suddenly taken back to my first few years of teaching. You know, those years when you want things to be so good, but they're just not. What a challenge teachers have. We have to teach while we're still learning HOW to teach!
  If you're new to teaching, or just need a little motivational pep talk that you're on the right track, check it out.

​I've even played this for my students to address their writing skills. Good stuff.

  If you've never used www.classtools.net , I highly recommend it. The interface is sometimes a little tricky, but it has some great content to take your classes to a higher engagement level. 
  I was happy to notice that the homepage has recently had a little makeover making some of their awesome games and classroom additions easier to spot and use. They have tons of free stuff, and of course a premium option that takes out the ads.

Here are my two favorite tools:
- The Arcade Game Generator
  (Plug in your vocabulary terms or information, and students get to choose from several games to play using your material. Manic Miner is a favorite. Who wouldn't want to try and get The Key, so you can jump down The Toilet?? It's also kind of fun because it's novel for students to play games that are somewhat old school. They love it.)

- Random Name Picker
  (I've used this before for picking names, yes, but also for different challenges and games throughout the year. Specifically, we've had a Figurative Language Death Battle the last few years. We used this wheel to house our different types of figurative language. Students spun the "Wheel of Death" for their figurative language challenge. I can tell you more about that later!

  They have other popular tools like Fakebook, crossword generators, a PacMan test creator, an audience soundboard, a movie text scroller, timers, and little additions that can really make your lessons pop. The only downside is that you can't use some of these tools on iPads (because of flash), but it's great for Chromebooks and computers. So if you've never used it, take a little scroll around and let me know what you find!

Megan Gordon
​7th Grade ELAR

*All photos from www.classtools.net 
This blog post is the genuine opinion of the author.

As we began our historical fiction unit last year, there were a couple of skills I wanted to make sure the students had. One was the ability to do research that would allow them to put the novel in its proper context. The other was knowing how to figure out the essential questions that needed answering through the research. It didn’t take long for me to think of a song that could help with both of those things.

Bhi Bhiman is a excellent song writer with a huge/amazing voice. His songs are unique. They’re quirky. His song Kimchee Line was the first song I’d ever heard written from the perspective of a North Korean man. It’s a great song, but if you don’t have the proper context for it, it won’t make much sense. So I thought it would be the perfect way to cover these research skills before we began our unit.

Here’s a concise version of how it went in my 6th grade English class last year (the lesson took 2 days):

Step 1: We listened to the song and read the lyrics. At this point the kids were reading with slightly confused looks on their faces. Also they seemed amazed at my impeccable taste in music. But maybe I was reading too much into their expressions...
Step 2: I asked a few students to explain what’s happening in the song. Who the speaker is. What the situation is. The answers were all over the place. No real consensus on what was happening. They had fallen right into my carefully laid educational trap.  
Step 3: I asked them to identify words or phrases that could be clues to the meaning of the song. I wrote those in black on the board.
Step 4: Using prior knowledge, they made inferences about what the words and phrases could mean. I wrote the inferences on the board in green. I didn’t lead them in a particular direction here. I just wrote down their thoughts and ideas.  
Step 5: After the discussion and inferences, most of my classes were on the right track. There was at least one kid in every class who knew kimchee was Korean. Some classes knew general knowledge of the conflict between North and South Korea. The next step for us was to do some research to fill in the gaps in our knowledge. We developed a few essential research terms. History of Korea, North Korea, Kim Jong Un Korean war, etc.
Step 6: The students searched the internet for information about the topics. It gave me an opportunity to reinforce what they’d learned in elementary about reliable sources. I also had them start with the online databases our library utilizes.  
Step 7: The final step was to come back together after doing the research and discuss the song again. This time, though, they had the proper context for the song, so their understanding of it was greatly enhanced.Their minds were blown by the power of research. It was like rewatching the entire Game of Thrones series after you find out that...just kidding. No spoilers here.

Here’s a link to the video for Kimchee Line. It’s going to get stuck in your head. You’re welcome.

Nathan Garvin
​6th Grade English

 One of my favorite things to do with my students is to find ways to use music in the classroom. More specifically, I like to use songs from the (typically indie) artists that I love and think everyone else should know about. If I can foster a good taste in music, I’ll know when the kids leave my classroom that they’re going to make good music decisions when they grow up.

This past year in 6th grade English we did a memoir unit centered around the themes of perspective and empathy. In the introduction to this unit, we did a few activities to better understand those two concepts. One of them was listening and reading the lyrics to Two Animals by Oh, Jeremiah. The lyrics to the song can be found here.

It’s the tale of two animals who are captured, kept in a zoo, then escape. The reason it worked so well for our unit is that it’s told from the perspective of one of the animals. After reading the lyrics, we had a good discussion as a class. We started with basic comprehension of the song. What happened, the points of the plot chart we could see in the narrative, inferences about the kind of animal the speaker is. Then the discussion turned to our themes of perspective and empathy. Students commented on the difference of having the story told in first person vs third and how it enhanced the empathy felt for the speaker. The students took it further and talked about how it raised ethical questions about zoos and animal captivity.

The students were engaged and understood perspective and empathy better. I was happy because the lesson worked, and I got to listen to good music all day. When I tweeted about the lesson, Oh, Jeremiah retweeted us, so obviously they were happy too. It was a classic, Michael Scott win-win-win scenario.
Here’s the video for Two Animals, and you can click here to see the band’s homepage. They just released a new album that has been playing in my car all week. 
Nathan Garvin
​6th Grade ELA

  In this space, you’ll find some commentary/ideas on different types of media we've used for various reasons. Maybe they helped us in our classroom designing process, inspired us to become better educators, or maybe we actually used them in class with the kiddos. Take a look!
________________________________________________________________________

  Seeing as how this is our first media post. I figured I'd start with one of life's simple questions. Do aliens exist?
​
Some context.
  You see, I teach 7th grade language arts, and while most people will argue that I’m actually TEACHING aliens, I’ve come to share a little different perspective today. Last year I really tried to bring in some interesting, scientific, conspiracy theory-esque, or debatable articles into our curriculum as much as I could. I was thinking about how our students are constantly on the internet--YouTube, SnapChat, Twitter, and the likes, so why not meet them where they are? Still cover what we’re required to cover, but use resources that are more meaningful to students. Nothing new really, but definitely worth giving a shot if you haven’t already.

Side note.
  A cousin of mine just finished 7th grade...we actually have a lot in common now...Anyway, she told me that they call their English language arts classes, Communication Arts Class. That really struck a chord with me. I’ve always felt like I was teaching an art. The art of being a valuable citizen. The art of contributing to our society. This is why I love teaching the subject. It’s really not about one subject, is it? It’s the art of taking in a work of literature or piece of art, and being able to express unique thoughts and perspectives about those experiences--the art of communicating through reading, listening, writing, and responding in an educated way. Sure, I may now also think of myself as a wizard of sorts, à la Professor Snape. Defense Against the Illiterate Arts, if you will.

Back to the article.
  So the idea was to use these articles that students may have actually come across in their internet browsing, and really have them apply some higher level thinking to the article. (Things they should be doing on their own, really.) Again, nothing new to most of you. It was just quite freeing to be able to use interesting articles rather than boring reading passages to allow students to engage, have conversation, debate, and to meet the standards they’re asked to meet by our state. More importantly, they were learning how to be good readers: detect bias, think for themselves, evaluate the information, evaluate sources, and apply things they already knew to new information.

This is the article.
http://www.sciencealert.com/the-tardigrade-genome-has-been-sequenced-and-it-has-the-most-foreign-dna-of-any-animal

  This article describes the weirdest creature I have ever read about--The tardigrade, AKA the waterbear. This creature can survive in space, can withstand the most extreme temperatures, is super tiny, can live without food or water for more than 10 years, can survive radiation and pressure, can basically dehydrate and rehydrate itself, and probably most importantly, has foreign DNA.

Lots to talk about.

• Does this remind you of anything you’ve seen, read, or heard before?
• What does it mean for something to be considered an alien?
• What does this weird article mean for us as humans?

(Also, I may have argued, based on text evidence of course, that this creature was technically an alien, hence my initial question: Do aliens exist? We had a good time debating that inquiry.)

  This article can be taken in SO many directions. Apply it to science, math, history, art, or whatever your specialty might be. New vocabulary words were learned; inferences were made; predictions were created; information was summarized; connections were made; and most importantly, genuine thought and dialogue took place in the classroom.

The Point.
  The article you choose doesn’t matter. Choosing resources that are weird, engaging, frightening, hilarious...out of this world...now that’s where it’s at! If you aren’t interested in tardigrades, try something else. We all like reading interesting information, so we need to stop giving students a snooze fest in the classroom. If you are mindful and passionate about the articles you use in the classroom, your students will follow. ​And who knows, you might even be able to answer some of life's truly big questions.

Megan Gordon
​7th grade ELA

*Photo credit (Tippet Studio/Cosmos a Spacetime Odyssey)
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