Key Organizations to Join
The National Council of Teachers of English- Started in 1911, this organization focuses on improving the teaching and learning of English and Language Arts.
The National Education Association- Great organization that focuses on the rights of students and teachers. Their site discusses different issues that are occurring, as well as giving suggestions and support for grants, and offering help in the classroom like lesson plans.
The National Education Association- Great organization that focuses on the rights of students and teachers. Their site discusses different issues that are occurring, as well as giving suggestions and support for grants, and offering help in the classroom like lesson plans.
Teaching Ideas from Various Sources
English Journal, Vol. 98, No. 2, November 2008
Homework on Homework: Involving Students with a Controversial Issue- Ben F. Nelms
When it comes to giving homework in the classroom, there is always the question of if there is too much homework being given, if the assignments are meaningful to the students and classroom, and if the students will even do the assignments. This article discusses how to approach homework, some pros and cons to homework, and how you might get your students to interact with it more. One activity that they suggest that I will probably use in my classroom, with minor tweaks, is having the students fill out a questionnaire about assignments that have done in the past. They reflect on positive and negative aspects about this experience, as well as what they gained from this experience. I will use this activity as a stepping stone for students to create their own assignment, with some guidance from me, for one unit we are working on in the classroom. I am hoping that this will inspire students to become invested in their learning and homework, and will make them want to participate more in my classroom.
English Journal, Vol. 92, No. 1, September 2002
Shakespeare is Alive and Well in Cyberspace: An Annotated Bibliography- Dorothy Marie Hett
When it comes to teaching Shakespeare in the classroom, students can become overwhelmed with the pieces because of language, characters, historical difference, etc. However, after reading this article, I no longer have any fear about facing these problems in my classroom. This article covers twelve sites that can be useful for teachers and students when it comes to understanding Shakespeare. Some of the sites are more orientated to lesson plans or graphics and history to be used in the classroom, while other sites have more general knowledge that covers everything a student might want to know such as famous quotes, a discussion area, all of his works, scripts, etc. I plan on using the website Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet, to help incorporate the piece into my classroom. I will have my students explore this website and generate questions from it before we start reading the piece so that they can be a little more prepared. I will also have them consult several times with this website while we are reading the piece to help them with any problems they may be having.
English Journal, Vol. 83, No. 5, September 1994
Literature Out of the Closet: Bringing Gay and Lesbian Texts and Subtexts Out in High School English- Vicky Greenbaum
Although the genre of sexual preference can be a touching subject in the classroom, I believe that it is important to teach literature that covers all sexualities and explore these issues in the pieces, instead of just ignoring them. I found this article to be helpful in discussing how to address this issue in the classroom, without making it an issue on whether it is right or wrong. Greenbaum discusses her own issue with being a closeted lesbian teacher and how in her classroom she focused on noticing the subtexts of pieces, including such issues as racism, sexism, cultural differences, etc. I believe this article helps bring up the issue of what should or should not be addressed in the classroom and why. I plan on using this article in the classroom by focusing on the subtexts of pieces, so that my students will be able to identify all types of issues that are happening in and piece, and how this might influence it.
What Am I? Teaching Poetry through Riddles: Lesson Plan
When teaching poetry in the classroom, I think it is important to approach the subject in new, exciting ways, that the students may not have encountered before. What I like about this lesson plan is that it does not focus on lecturing. This lesson plan uses activities the students can practice on a daily basis, so that they can try out the new elements they are learning. I think students learn best through experience and I want to use this lesson plan so that my students can experience writing their own riddle poems. Until I use this lesson plan in my classroom, I am not exactly sure how I might change it.
To check out this lesson plan go to http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/what-teaching-poetry-through-169.html?tab=1#tabs
To check out this lesson plan go to http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/what-teaching-poetry-through-169.html?tab=1#tabs
A Boxful of Characters: Lesson Plan
This lesson plan can be applied to any Shakespeare piece and is great for getting students to look critically at the piece. Students will have two class periods to construct a life box for one character from the piece. They must fill this box with several everyday items that the character would use. Students may not just come up with their own idea of what the character might need. They must have a quote from the piece that shows the character would use this. I like this project because it covers several standards at one time, http://www.folger.edu/eduStds.cfm?lpid=578.
To check out this lesson plan go to http://www.folger.edu/eduLesPlanDtl.cfm?lpid=578
To check out this lesson plan go to http://www.folger.edu/eduLesPlanDtl.cfm?lpid=578
Dystopian: Lesson Plan
I like the idea of teaching a dystopian lesson plan because I think it places well into today's society and what adolescents are reading. There are several books that I could use for this lesson such as Feed by M.T. Anderson or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I like the warm up activity that they suggest of having students go into different titled corners depending on how they feel. However, there are some elements that I might cut from the lesson plan just because of time constraints such as the jigsaw discussion. However, if my students are really into this lesson, then I am more than willing to do all the activities.
To check out this lesson plan go to http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/dark-materials-reflecting-on-dystopian-themes-in-young-adult-literature/#more-48581
To check out this lesson plan go to http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/dark-materials-reflecting-on-dystopian-themes-in-young-adult-literature/#more-48581
Holocaust Cultural Studies Unit Plan | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | docx |