Monday, October 22, 2012
Go to your corner!
FINALLY! I finally feel like what I'm doing makes sense. Friday was the day my dream, future, and life came full circle. The students needed to finish The Color of Water for the four corners activity for Friday...Which was my day!
Our discussion for the class was on controversy. I knew that the students would love this discussion because they are faced with controversial issues everyday. Some of the examples they came up with on their own filled me with a rush of excitement. The shouting of Woman's Right, Gay Rights, Racism, and War seemed to be flying at me like tennis balls. Every time I was hit with an idea it took my breathe away. All of this was done before the activity and the discussion of the book. What happened next was amazing!
Controversial statements were written on the board for the students to read. They were given time to think it over and then they needed to decide: Agree, Disagree, Strongly Agree, Strongly Disagree. They were then asked to go to their corners and discuss with their groups why they came up with that decision.
The discussion between the groups about the book could not have been more rewarding. The students really thought about the statement and the book. One of the statements revolved around the "American Dream." This was a very black and white area for the students. By the end of the lesson, my 3-2-1 showed that students realized there are different "American Dreams" for every person. I couldn't believe my thoughts meant something to them.
Friday was the most rewarding day at as a teacher. Friday everything finally made sense.
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I like your four corners activity it seems like it would be tons of fun. I also like how friday went well for you. As aspiring teachers it is rewarding when something goes right. It feels like we are on top of the world. I share your triumph:) Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI love this activity Ashlee!! I did it in my SED 445 class last semester and totally forgot about it until right now! I think it is so great how enthusiastic they were about it! It really shows that kids love talking about what is passionate to them and I think it is so great that you got them to channel that passion into a great lesson! Keep up the great work girl!
ReplyDeleteAshlee,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to know that your lesson on Friday went so well and that an activity from a class on campus worked in a real classroom. That's always so validating!
I am a little disappointed not to see a reflection about your observed lesson here. I thought you might have something to record there, something you want to remember and not repeat (it has to do with beginnings, how to begin a work of literature...) Anyway, please think about posting a reflection of your observed co-taught lesson. It'll be worth preserving.
In your post, I find myself wanting to know more...a lot.. You tease us with generalities, and I want specifics. Here's a good example:
"The discussion between the groups about the book could not have been more rewarding. The students really thought about the statement and the book."
How was the discussion rewarding? Discussions are difficult to run in a classroom? How did you do it? How, specifically, were they engaging in the discussion? Which questions did they respond to the most? Also, how did you see--how did you know--students thinking about the book and about the statement? How could you tell they were engaging, specifically?
Try to write in more detail; try to put us, your reader, in your classroom with you, hearing just what you were hearing, seeing just what you were seeing. Try to write with only your reader in mind. See what happens.