So technically I'm into my second week, but I decided to wait to post until I had a little bit more to talk about. I've just started the 7th grade with their Giver unit, and so far, so good! It's really eye opening to see how crazy and spontaneous the real teaching world actually is...I really did think everything could be planned out, but I'm learning that the truth is the complete opposite. Maybe it's different in high school, but it is nearly impossible in a middle school to have an entire week planned out, let alone two days! Already I'm seeing a change in pace and feel like maybe some of the features in my unit plan can be tossed aside for something with better flow and transition. I'm only a few days in, but I'm looking forward to seeing how everything pans out. My mentor says that eventually the unit will take a life of its own and just...work out. Ideas and activities will come naturally, and the reactions of students will really drive the lessons. Maybe it's common knowledge, but I'm excited to see it with my own eyes in my own work.
Aaaaand the 8th grade research paper unit starts on Monday. Yikes. A lot of these kids are SUCH great writers, but hate it so much. I tried sitting down with a few students yesterday to help write their paragraphs for an in-class activity, and I had to pull teeth to get them to write down five sentences. They know how to do it, they just won't. Not sure if it's laziness or something with their past experiences, but I'm really worried about this unit. I don't want to be a bad teacher and end up responsible for enabling poor writing habits.
Hey Sam!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see all is going well back at Manheim Township Middle School starting your unit. I will be referring to your unit's novel, The Giver, over and over to get my students to make connections from their previous knowledge about dystopian lit. to now as I begin my Dystopian Fiction as a Literary Genre unit in late February!
Shawn and I just finished our 8th graders' unit for their research paper. It was challenging as well. We found that we had to give our students mini-goals (ex. four in-text citations by tomorrow) to get them to take on the beast that is a 4-5 page research paper in their eyes. Perhaps this could aid your students in their writing too. Also, try to find some sort of middle school writing contest that could motivate students in a way that their teachers are not the only one's viewing their work; the relevance might kick-start motivation for them. The research paper unit was by far the most stressful for my students in 8th grade so really my best advice is to stay positive in the classroom and be there for them along the way--which I'm positive you are and will be! :)
Dear Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment, the reactions of students will really drive the lesson. I have experienced this same thing this past week. I taught two honors classes Dante's Inferno, Canto III, and each class is different in the personalities of the students and so I had to address different parts of the Canto for each class. I had an identical lesson plan for each Honors English 10 class for the first day. The second day I had made adjustments based on the period 2 Honors class's response and different adjustments based on period 4. I was teaching the same Canto, but differentiating my teaching based on the needs of the students. This is why I am so thankful for the emphasis on reflection that has been made by our professors in our certification courses. I am unable to reflect immediately after teaching a class because there are only five minutes until the next class begins, but at the end of the day, I sit down and deliberately reflect and review what worked and what did not, what should be retaught in a different way, what did the students respond to, etc. What are your experiences with deliberate reflection on your teaching, lesson plans, etc.?