April 7, 2014

Another muddy spring here in Utah, but my kids are successfully "muddling" their way through Sound and Fury. Really hate the pun, but the blogs the kids have done should speak for themselves. I am so impressed with the level of analysis, writing and voice here-I know that using blogs did in fact effect their learning in this unit. One, the idea that other people will read what they've written infuses a genuine quality that is not evident in their formal writing. So much of what we do in A.P. has to do with the test that it is refreshing to know, I can still teach English-not everything has to be "about the test". Take a look at a few: C blog and J's and a funny one Also, today I discovered, perhaps you already all know, that it is best to give a "time" restriction when doing research. As a librarian, I watch many classes come up to our computer lab and use about 20 min. then the kids are done and messing around. But I gave my kids today specific questions, they met in the classroom to divide up the research in groups, then when into the lab and said you have 25 min. Then they came back into the classroom to discuss within their groups for 5, then presented to class-all in one day!, not a block period either- although not all presented today, it did give them the motivation to be finished and ready today and the focus was really successful-just an idea for the next time you are doing research- Just finished reading The Good Lord Bird, new by James McBride- not my normal reading but cool in it's own way-I recommend it to you-tracing John Brown's raid through a unique narrator