I was choking back tears while the students gave their quotation response oral readings today in 2nd hour. They were less profound in 7th hour, but were still very good. Definitely better than their Native American presentations. They had the rest of the hour to continue reading and finishing “The Middle Passage” text and draft their letter. I suggested a few reading strategies to the class members who couldn’t seem to remember what they had read yesterday. I suggested note-taking while reading, which I always suggest as a guide for completing assignment requirements, and also summarizing what you just read in your head to make sure you comprehended. Again, the 7th hour packed up before the hour was over. I’m not sure yet if I want to allow that. I reflect back to when I was in high school, and friendships were pretty important, so it was nice to get a few minutes in class just to talk to your friends. This is something I’m still wondering if I should keep pounding into them. I know I’ve said it before – “I’ll let you know when you can pack up.” I don’t want to let it go but I don’t want to hound them.
In CE9, we did our second ThinkBook, which I introduced in my 3rd and 6th hours. Ms. Hogue exemplified what she would write with a story in 1st hour, so I did the same in my classes. I hope that my model helped influence their writing. I think it is important for students to see that you can complete the tasks that you are asking them to do.
