This week we will delve deeper into the story, Raymond's Run. We will begin the week by discussing the Directed Notes taken by the students last week. In our discussions, we will be working on not only formulating and defending our positions but also on good presentation skills. I am always helping the students to focus on their articulation, volume and body language when they speak in my class. These skills are very important for effective leaders to acquire.
We will also be doing some group work this week. The students will break out into groups and divide how to divide the story into 10 sections. After these divisions have been made, the students will create a story map of the story. To do so, each student will contribute a drawing depicting at least one section in the story. This exercise will force the students to "get involved" more in the story and learn how to deal with a diverse group of people.
On Friday of this week, I will be introducing the students to the next habit, Habit #3. Habit #3 is "Put first things first." In this habit, the students will be learning about how to prioritize and put the most important things in life first. This habit should really help our 6th grade students to learn how to get their work done before play and begin to prioritize what they need to accomplish in order to create more balance in their lives.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Week of February 16
Monday February 16: NO SCHOOL... Happy President's Day!
On Tuesday of this week, the students will revisit the "FRIESS" method of creating an accurate written response. In this method, the students will practice writing facts, reasons, incidents, examples, statistics and sensory details as a way of not only responding accurately to a question but also as a means of formulating an argument. They will be writing a response to the question: Are girls expected to be nicer than boys? Their response will also serve as an introduction to our next story in the Great Books Series, "Raymond's Run."
On Wednesday the students will actually read and listen to this next story in class. Then on Thursday the students will re-read the story on their own, take directed notes on the story, and then discuss their responses using the Socratic method. It is during these Socratic discussions that the students continue to hone their skills in creating and defending their arguments... always a favorite time in class!
Finally, on Friday we will revisit Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind. The students should be finalizing their Personal Mission Statements this week and bringing them to class on Friday (due date) along with the worksheet that I gave them last Friday. We will continue our discussion on this important habit and learn more about how the students can actually put this habit into practice.
On Tuesday of this week, the students will revisit the "FRIESS" method of creating an accurate written response. In this method, the students will practice writing facts, reasons, incidents, examples, statistics and sensory details as a way of not only responding accurately to a question but also as a means of formulating an argument. They will be writing a response to the question: Are girls expected to be nicer than boys? Their response will also serve as an introduction to our next story in the Great Books Series, "Raymond's Run."
On Wednesday the students will actually read and listen to this next story in class. Then on Thursday the students will re-read the story on their own, take directed notes on the story, and then discuss their responses using the Socratic method. It is during these Socratic discussions that the students continue to hone their skills in creating and defending their arguments... always a favorite time in class!
Finally, on Friday we will revisit Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind. The students should be finalizing their Personal Mission Statements this week and bringing them to class on Friday (due date) along with the worksheet that I gave them last Friday. We will continue our discussion on this important habit and learn more about how the students can actually put this habit into practice.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Week of February 9
This week we began the processes of Directed Note-taking and Shared Inquiry discussion as we delved deeper into our story, "Through the Tunnel." The students looked throughout the story for places where 11-year-old Jerry was acting like a child and where he was acting like a grownup. Through the development of arguments, the students were able to begin to see how one incident can be interpreted in more than one way. The discussions were lively, to say the least, as the students learned how to formulate arguments and defend their positions. These discussions seem to be a favorite amongst so many of the kids!
Besides formulating and defending their positions, the students also participated in Shared Inquiry discussions on the story utilizing the Socratic method of learning. I was the facilitator while the students themselves answered interpretive questions about the story in an effort to glean new insight from each other into the deeper meaning of the story.
On Friday, we once again turned our discussion to the "7 Habits" course. This Friday we began talking about Habit #2. This habit teaches us to "Begin with the End in Mind." In an effort to better understand this habit, the students will be completing a worksheet to help them understand what sorts of things are really important to them and then they will create their own Personal Mission Statement. This activity is due on Friday, February 20.
Besides formulating and defending their positions, the students also participated in Shared Inquiry discussions on the story utilizing the Socratic method of learning. I was the facilitator while the students themselves answered interpretive questions about the story in an effort to glean new insight from each other into the deeper meaning of the story.
On Friday, we once again turned our discussion to the "7 Habits" course. This Friday we began talking about Habit #2. This habit teaches us to "Begin with the End in Mind." In an effort to better understand this habit, the students will be completing a worksheet to help them understand what sorts of things are really important to them and then they will create their own Personal Mission Statement. This activity is due on Friday, February 20.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Week of February 2
This week we begin our study of the Junior Great Books series. On Monday I will introduce the students to the process we will be using to delve deeper into each of our stories. The students will learn about 3 types of questions (factual, interpretive and speculative). Next they will apply this knowledge to a short excerpt from "The House on Mango Street" as they seek to find examples of all three types of questions. Starting on Tuesday, the students will read their first story, "Through the Tunnel." Wednesday and Thursday we will re-read our story, taking Directed Notes and seeking to understand new vocabulary words. On Friday, we will jump back into the "7 Habits" course and revisit Habit #1. The students will gain more information and participate in additional activities to reinforce their understanding of what it means to "Be Proactive."
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