We’ll be watching the movie The Crucible in English 11 until next week. I explained to them that I never appreciated having an assignment from a teacher while watching a film because it made me lose concentration on the film. I therefore made a deal, that if they were quiet and attentive while the movie was one, there would be no formal assignment. I did ask them – “What is a common response to have or thing to do when you’re watching a movie that you already read as a book?” and I got the answer I was looking for. Make comparisons and contrasts between the two, and develop internal responses about how you feel about that.
Discussion day in CE9 always excites me because I think there is so much to talk about with Speak. It is difficult to not jump in all the time, because sometimes they share their passage out loud to the class, but don’t even get near to explaining the effects of it in the book. I ask follow-up questions, although sometimes I think I take it too far. I just want the kids to get it!!! It is definitely noticeable who has read and who hasn’t, or who gets what is happening and is making predictions and who hasn’t made connections or really “got it.” As a teacher, it is hard to step back when you see so much that you want the students to be getting out of something. It is good for them to have their own ideas, but they need to work on taking them to the next level.
