Kelli Thornhill

One of the tasks included in my Curriculum in Middle and High School course was to create two mini-lessons and teach them to a small class. I centered my lessons on the bystander effect that occurred during WWII. After completing and teaching these lessons, I created a mini-DAR that describes, analyzes, and reflects on those experiences. The mini-DAR is linked here.

Although I was unable to attend the on-campus events centering around the Education Department's common read, Girl Rising , by Tanya Lee Stone, I was able to view the linked recording of the author talk. I was very excited to delve deeper into the reasoning behind the writing, and I was curious about how Stone went about picking and choosing between all these incredible stories of survival. In the very beginning of her talk, she noted that there were so many more girls who shared stories that were unable to be included into the book. She went along to remind everyone that it truly is a global issue, and these girls are only snapshots into the broken environment that girls overcome every single day. Something that struck me while listening, and something that really made me think for a long time afterwards, was Stone's viewpoints on the parents. She stated that, "It is hard to judge a parents decision" because the reader or viewer can never assume that they know...

Creating a Concept Cube: A Method of Learning Vocabulary When I was assigned with the task of creating a vocabulary lesson plan for my unit, I knew I wanted something interactive. Leaning the definition of a word does not ensure complete understanding. By getting a better grasp of all the different parts, such as the parts of speech, uses in a sentence, antonyms, examples, and key concepts, students are equipped with the knowledge they need to retrieve the word and use it correctly in the future whatever format it requires. In this lesson, I chose to use the word "ghetto". I chose this word because it is specialized and can often carry different meanings based on what time period it is referenced in. Since my unit is based primarily around the book Night , by Elie Wiesel, I wanted students to understand that the word ghetto referred to Jewish quarters during the Holocaust. Then came the next challenge: how do I communicate all of these concepts in 15 minutes or ...

As part of our first assignment in Curriculum, I was tasked with creating a visual representation of my curriculum orientation, and how that orientation will influence the way I teach in the future. As I researched further into the different types of curriculum orientations, I came to the conclusion that I identify most closely with humanism, or the belief that learning should be student centered so students can be self-motivated to reach their own potential. Likewise, in Literacy, I was tasked with defining literacy in the digital age, and how the ever changing technological environment will shape how I incorporate literacy skills in my english content area. The links to these assignments can be found below:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PJIm6xHasdqsADZGCLrgkJRjrzYIfh-2lt71ASpxpgA/edit?usp=sharing https://spark.adobe.com/page/1fdIoNbPMJoHA/ The mission statement pillars that most closely correlate with the tasks defined above are: " Our graduates are creati...

Student voice and choice has never been more visible than it has been in the past few months. Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there has been an incredible outcry for change by student leaders like Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Sam Zeif, Julia Cordover, and many others. Their activism was sparked by a tragic event, but nevertheless, it was, and still is, an example of students making their own choice to speak out on issues that they are passionate about, and boy are they making a difference. It may seem like these magic students are rare; like they have been hidden behind school doors until forced to speak out. But take a closer look at your classroom, and you'll find a whole room full of magic students, whose voices are loud and clear, who have passions for things they believe in, and have the power to leave the world a better place then they found it. So how do we encourage all of our students to recognize their power? We star...

"Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love (with a girl), but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book" -John Green It's easy to get caught up in the everyday stress of life, especially in college. In high school, I devoured a book every two days; you couldn't drag me away from them. Now, I spend most of my time with my nose in a textbook, and I've lost that feeling of attachment for YA novels. Eleanor & Park reminded me of what being invested in a characters experience felt like. I found myself unable to put it down. Rainbow Rowell expertly crafted a novel that captures what it is like to be young, vulnerable, and captivated by another person.  Eleanor and Park as characters display many of the developmental growth patterns present in the adolescent brain. For example, they both look to peers more than adults for guidance and approval. Park initially fears social retribution if he is cau...

"How was school today? What did you do?" Ask this question to a elementary aged child, and you're bound to get a lengthy story, full of intricate details of how Sarah was mean to Dan, and how Mrs. Smith gave the class treats for behaving well during the assembly, and how recess was held inside due to the cold weather. But ask this question to a middle schooler... and it feels as if you get the same, monotonous answer every time: "School was fine" Where did all the details go? Surely 8 hours of their day can account for more than just a simple, "fine". Exploring the adolescent developmental patterns and structures for family involvement can help us better understand this seemingly "distant" phenomenon, and the ways in which families can become more involved in their students educational experience. Why are young adolescents less likely to express their feelings to their families? Young adolescents are undergoing brain d...

Snow days are a much anticipated day off for most students. There is even a whole list of snow day superstitions that students follow diligently; turn your pajamas inside out, flush an ice cube down the toilet, and sleep with a spoon under your pillow, just to name a few. I have memories of placing my spoon underneath my pillow each night before a snowstorm, hoping I'd get to sleep in the next day. But are the ramifications worth the eight hours of freedom? I asked myself this question after visiting the Swift House team at Williston Central School last Thursday. They had just come back from a snow day, and suddenly, I began to see snow days through the eyes of a teacher, and not from the perspective of a student. As my group and I walked into the bright yellow halls of Swift House, we were struck by the quietness of all the classrooms. As a middle school team consisting of fifth through eighth graders, I fully expected to walk into a loud, energetic environment. I soon realized,...

There are so many factors that contribute to student success. If a student is not prepared to learn, then the process becomes much more difficult. Abraham Maslow, a well known American psychologist, established a motivational theory that typically consists of five tiers, each of which needs to be met in order to move on to the next. These tiers include categories of physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow's hierarchy of needs can be seen in the image below: What does this mean for teachers, and why is it so important?  We should start by considering the fact that not meeting any one of these needs can often inhibit a student's ability to learn and retain information. Here is an example...  An adolescent girl has to walk two miles to get to school because her guardian picks up an early morning shift at work. In order to get to school on time, she leaves her house 20 minutes earlier than she would if she was being dr...

“The quality of the relationship between teachers and students is the single most important aspect of middle level education.” - Van Hoose (1991, 7) Student's with a strong sense of community, an adult advocate, and a safe environment to learn in are more likely to succeed. Teaming and advisory programs are incredibly important in middle level education. If implemented correctly, there is a greater chance for personal and academic success in the middle school environment. It is far too easy to slip through the cracks and become invisible in middle school, but with these two practices, students are able to create personal connections with their teachers, and teachers are able to build strong relationships with their students. What Makes a Strong Team? A strong team is one that... Has strong relationships and communication Has support systems available for students, teachers, and parents Is clearly student centered Has a strong organizational structure Has a focus on ...

Numbness; that is what 13 year old Laurel Daneau craves. When the memories come rushing back with a force as strong as the water that took her beloved mother and grandmother away, she finds solace in the moon. The high makes the rest of the world fade away, if only for a few moments, but when the numbness begins to spread, to take her completely, Laurel is faced with a difficult choice; who will she live for, the moon, or her family? Exhibiting classic signs of risky adolescent behavior, Laurel could be focusing on intuitive reasoning rather than analytic reasoning. Instead of focusing on the risks meth posed to her well being, Laurel instead focused on the benefits it would provide, even before she felt the high. Her first exposure to meth occurred in an interaction with her basketball team boyfriend, T-Boom, outside of a local gas station. Laurel made the risky decision to try meth not because she knew it would numb her pain, but because she wanted to impress T-Boom. Her intuiti...

In his TED Talk about failure, intelligent technology expert Astro Teller reflects on the importance of dreaming big, and not being afraid of the possible outcomes. In fact, in the seemingly competitive industry of science and technology that Google dominates, his team is encouraged to fail. The power and potential of a project goes unrecognized without an active attempt to make it happen. Teller's teams at GoogleX dream up some incredible ideas; those ranging from a cargo ship that would combat the lack of shipping infrastructure, to an innovative way to provide universal internet connection. One of those projects failed, but that does not mean that their creative thinking was unsuccessful. Instead, it gave them the motivation and the knowledge to tackle the next big idea. It propelled them into discovering the technology of the future. As future educators, we can learn a lot from Teller's experience with failure. Instead of viewing failure as a consequence, we need to ...

My name is Kelli Thornhill, and I am from Nashua, New Hampshire. I am currently a sophomore at Saint Michael's College, and along with my Secondary Education major, I also have a focus in English. On campus I am a core team leader for MOVE's Middle School Mentors program. Along with my awesome core team partner and all of our mentors, I help coordinate a partnership between middle school girls and strong college aged women. When I'm not volunteering for community outreach programs, you can usually find me hanging out with my roommates and watching movies. I am also a low ropes course and team building instructor at a New Hampshire outdoor adventure camp, which adds lots of excitement to my summers. Working with adolescents both in community programs and in a work environment has really made me fall in love with the idea of teaching. I am inspired every day by the students that I interact with, and I hope that in the future I can become an advocate for their needs in the...