But Mr. Sinnett is hardly averse to having fun. With his playful sense of humor and hands-on approach, Mr. Sinnett often leads class activities from the floor, sitting among his students. "I want to be in there with them. So if they have questions, I can point things out to them. And I want to bond with them too. Create that sense of community."
Students enter his class performing at a wide range of levels, some speaking English fluently and some not at all. At first, Mr. Sinnett gives his English language learner students time to adjust, knowing that they understand more than they can communicate. As the year goes on, however, Mr. Sinnett expects to hear from them more and more. "When they feel comfortable, they'll start talking. I had one student who didn't speak at all for the first two months of school. And then, by the end of the year, she was talking all the time -- beautiful English. She had that knowledge; she was just afraid to use it."
Prompted by his school district's benchmarks, Mr. Sinnett emphasizes writing, and formally assesses his students' written work a few times a year. In the third grade, his students will take the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, or TAAS, a standardized test that includes a writing section. Mr. Sinnett works with his students on particular writing skills, including how to make a plan for their writing -- at this stage an illustration of what they plan to write. The New Jersey Writing Project, a teacher's institute he has taken twice, has influenced his approach to teaching writing.