shannon wilson

First, the good:

I found that this course was helpful in that I learned from my peers some good strategies for teaching. I found that the things that everyone else found online and posted were more helpful to me than the things that I found on my own. I liked the blog idea. It was completely new to me and I was scared at first. I like the idea of a classroom blog and I will probably incorporate it somehow into my future classroom. I think it will be a great way for me to communicate with them, showcase their work, and have them self publish things that they have written.

Second, the not so good:

I found the online portion of the class off putting because I have never taken an online class before. I feel that this class is simply a restating of a lot of information that we already have learned. By the time we take this class, we are getting ready to graduate. I feel that this class is similar to CI 2800 and would be better off at the beginning of our educational journey. I found that a lot of the material was a rehash of things that we have already learned in our content classes. I think that this class was ill placed in our Block schedule and that the learning in this class came primarily from conversing with other colleagues, which is something that we do all the time anyway.

Lesson Plan Review 2

Slavery in America, Social Studies 8^th Grade

http://www.africanaheritage.com/sweetclara.asp

This lesson plan talks about slave quilts and the theory that they may have used them on their journey towards freedom. This lesson plan incorporates the picture book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt.  Although it is a book that one would primarily see in an elementary class, I would use it to introduce the topic to the class. I think that this book, and others like it, would be an excellent resource in the classroom.  Students would study the different meanings behind the quilts and how they may have been used in the escape to freedom.

I like that this lesson plan utilizes lots of vocabulary words that may not be familiar to the students. I think that it offers them a chance to develop their understanding of the words and use that understanding to create meaning. I would use this lesson plan as a starting point for them to understand about slaves and quilts. I would have the students create their own quilt by designing one on paper and giving it meaning. This would be part of a larger unit on slavery in America.

Slavery in America Social Studies 8^th Grade

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=318

This is a lesson plan about slave spirituals and their hidden meanings. This lesson plan features lyrics to some songs, explanation of the songs, and further readings. It also features information on Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Students will listen to the songs and try to decipher the meaning.

This lesson plan could go into a larger unit about slavery in America.  I like that this lesson plan features the lyrics to the spiritual and offers explanation about the song. I like that this lesson plan incorporates different ideas and uses a connection to Martin Luther King in the end. Even though this lesson plan is for 9-12 grades, I would use it in an 8^th grade classroom as part of their study on Antebellum North Carolina and slavery.

Response to Article 3 I thought that this article offered a lot of practical information for teachers on how to incorporate definitions into their classroom. I agree that the purpose of learning new vocabulary and definitions has a place in other classes, not just English Language Arts. I thought that the strategies offered in the article were practical and realistic for teachers to use. Most of the strategies were not new to me because I have taken a lot of classes at ASU where these were discussed. Having a concentration in ELA has given me many opportunities to see these strategies and use them in my studies. I think that if more teachers, no matter their concentration, would use these strategies it would lead to students being able to understand the subject better.

Summary and Response to Article 2

Creating research papers is a daunting, tedious, and boring task. Teachers are looking for new and creative ways to incorporate into their classrooms. The multigenre paper is one answer to the problem that teachers face for their classroom to create research projects in different ways. In this project, students create a new and meaningful artifact that incorporates lots of different writing techniques for their project. They can create newspaper articles, posters, diary entries, and many other written responses to their subject. This project, while it is still new to many teachers and students, is gaining momentum. It offers students and teachers a new and creative way to respond to their research subject.

I think that this idea is a great one. I feel that the students would like to do this rather than a traditional paper. I think that they would have to think outside of the box to create these artifacts. This would help them to dig deeper and think more about their subject.  In order for me to try this project in my classroom, I would like to see an example of one. I would need to model it for my students and create one or more of them to show them. I think that it would be a great idea to use in the classroom but that it will take time for me to be sure that I do a good job with it. Because it is a new idea, I would need to try to work out as many kinks as possible before hand. I would probably need to let my principal know what I am doing so that they would understand what is going on and support me in it.

1. How could I grade them on their artistic interpretations of their research?
2. How could I get parents, students, other teachers, and administrators on board for this new idea?
3. Would these projects be harder to grade than a traditional paper?

Summary and Response to Article 1

Students can use the “I” poems as a way to think critically about what they are going to read or what they have already read.  They can use these poems as a way to think deeper about a subject in a novel, a character in a novel, or a particular idea.  The teacher should model a poem for them and give examples to help them along. In creating these poems, students will learn to think about the different meanings of a particular reading and create a meaningful artifact for that reading.

I have created these types of poems for some of my classes at ASU. I have also used these ideas in classroom projects with students as a way for them to create an artifact that demonstrates their understanding of a text. I think that these poems and the way they are constructed are a great way for students to understand their text even more. I especially like the way that these types of poems give a voice to different feelings and ideas found in the text.

1. How can I get students to do the activity when they don’t want to participate?
2. How can I judge with a critical eye their “interpretation” of a text? Is there a right or wrong answer?
3. How can I motivate them to do this and not be scared of the word “poem.”