D+Z 5+8

Chapter five of Subjects Matter is by far the most important of the book. Clearly Smokey D and Zemelman agree since it is highlighted almost entirely in dark grey. I earmarked about 10 of the 28 reading comprehension methods they named and am evening toying with using it this semester at North Providence High.

I was pretty impressed with most of the methods they mentioned. This and other learnings over the past year are completely helping shape the type of classroom "ecosystem" I hope to create. I'm really leaning towards lessons that are focused primarily in using different mediums to construct the past. For example, I'd really like to use the "frontloading with images" idea to begin a class period, follow with a lecture, pause for reflective tweeting on the lecture and end with a student presentation about current events.

I've really "drank the kool aid", I know.

But I really do see this multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-level learning structure as a beneficial and intense way for students to interact with history.

Anyway like I was saying, I'd really like to use one of these methods from chapter 5 at North Providence...I'm really not sure if I'm an experienced enough teacher though...I'm pretty nervous already and I know I'll be even more nervous and sweaty (eww) the day of.

Another one of my favorite reading methods was the "written conversation" one...anyone think this is a good idea to try cold turkey? Do you think it would be inappropriate to use since we (students and I) are so new to each other?

Help me. Wahh.

Moving on...

Chapter eight was an informative chapter too. I would love to set up some workshop reading in my classroom. I'm not even sure I would require books; I think I would be ok with any written source that is more than a given number of pages. Also, I don't think I'd require logging the material to set up student/ teacher contracts...I might just have them talk about it briefly with a classmate...Sometimes for me logging sets up a "work" relationship instead of a "hobby" relationship.

I know they briefly mentioned that teachers consistently ask...what about time? where do I fit this into the 45 min of class time? So I thought maybe it could be a weekly workshop...but how long would you give out of class time? Can students read enough material in 15 min; I mean if so how long might it take them to finish one book? And would it be truly workshop or should it be content material they're reading?

I don't know yet....just questions that are in my head right now.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/550/three-miles  <---  really good listenin'