What does it say?
What does it mean?
What does it matter?
These three questions are so great and sometimes I forget that going beyond the point of What does it mean? to What does it matter? is the essential direction our conversations and discussions need to go. I am doing my lesson on satire and I think that these three questions could fit so well into this topic. I'm excited to use them and hear the responses of my students.
I also loved all the ideas Gallagher gave in his metaphor chapter. The iceberg is such a great visual and really gets students to have a deeper comprehension and understanding of characters. I even liked how he had one sentence about letting the students draw the metaphors - I was thinking, "Why?" But then I made it personal and thought about how I love art and love to draw (I think I was being selfish because I wanted to draw the metaphors), but then I thought a little harder and concluded that it was a great idea because then it captures the attention of the artists and visual learners of the classroom. Let students have their creative touch and that will give them more interest and involvement in the activity.
4 comments:
I feel a little overwhelmed too. I really hope that I can use them in my classroom someday. I'm not going to sell this book back at the end of the semester because I feel like I will actually get quite a bit out of it when I am teaching.
I think it would have been more feasible for us to document our findings in a journal, than on this blog. We could have reflected back to lessons or ideas we found in the two books, and notated pages to indicate that we had done the reading. This would become an invaluable resource for us as teachers, and could be our accountability for Dr. Franklin.
What do you think Dr. Franklin?
Next year, I suggest a journal rather than the blog? Let me know how it works if you do it?
I think I'll have my students keep a year-long journey of ideas and concepts we cover. The can keep definitions and examples in it and reference back to it at the test they'll be taking at the end of the year.
~Stan
I'm a bit overwhelmed too, but don't think we're expected to use every great idea we find. No matter how awesome an activity is, it has to fit with our class and our personal teaching style. You could have an awesome activity scheduled for every single day of the school year, and students would probably be more overwhelmed than enlightened. Focus on a few you really, really like and make your point, and change them out as necessary.
Handwritten journals are good, but the blog lasts forever. With a handwritten journal, the only person who responds is the teacher, and the feedback and ideas you get from one another is invaluable.
Take notes in your book and mark pages there.
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