Another thing I enjoyed about this chapter was how hilarious it was I read about what she asks students who have not read to write on thier tests. She makes them write " 'I promise with all my heart to make up the reading and come to class tomorrow prepared' " (Jago, 2004). She does this instead of having students make thing up on their quiz sheet and confuse her. Obviously it would still be evident if they did not read, but at least this way she can keep track of who is and who is not.
I also noticed that she uses 'expert groups' like we are going to do next week. With a strong focus on one key element, we will be teaching the class, and now I know where that idea came from. I really enjoyed the advice list that her previous students made up for next years students to use. I absolutely loved this and will be using it in my classroom. What a simple idea, but how interesting it would be for peers to give advice to the next round of students.
Another element that I found interesting were the poems written by the perspectives of the women in The Odyssey. Since any poem written so long ago was all about men, it will be interesting to see how the women might view it. Even if you did not use the poems, you could still borrow the idea and have the students write the poems from the view of certain characters as well.
Lastly, I just thought that this chapter was very insightful. I enjoyed all of her ideas and character charts, and I will definitely be using this book in the future!
I thought it was interesting as well how she had students make that promise on their quizzes. It would be a waste of time for students to write gibberish for the teacher to grade. I think quizzes are an insightful way for students to see what they have learned. I would rather call them reading checks, just because it is to check to see who has read and reward those who have.
ReplyDeleteI also thought this was a very helpful and insightful chapter. Even the students showcased in this chapter seemed to be so into the material. It really blew me away. I loved the idea of writing a poem about a woman, for all the reasons you have said, and because it produces such a contrasting piece to others of the time period. Not just because of the differences between a woman and a man, but because of the differences in experience. A story of a heroin and a hero are not going to be the same even thought they will probably consist of many of the same elements.
ReplyDeleteI thought the promise was awesome. I plan to use that in the future with my students for sure!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter finally made the book worth it to me. It was the actual application of what she had been talking about and we got a full lesson plan out of it. I think the promise is idealistic depending on how her relationship with her students are. If I wasn't on great terms with my teacher, I'd still try to fake it even if she told me not to. Their POV is still about getting their points. I've BSed quizzes and gotten my points before, why would I change my ways if I were a 16 year old?
ReplyDelete