In the past, when studying To Kill a Mockingbird, I had my students partake in open discussions. Among the reasons I did this was to make sure they: 1.) read the book and 2.) understood what they read. Really, I was giving my students the short end of the stick. I didn’t trust that they could [...]
Thanks to the popularity of Stephanie Meyer’s book series and the recent release of New Moon in theaters, Twilight mania has devoured my classroom. Every other female is reading one of the books in the series, blogging about it and of course arguing over Team Edward and Team Jacob. Every other male in the classroom [...]
When I found out my students would be studying To Kill a Mockingbird, I was less than thrilled. After all, I attended a school that pushed future teachers to reconsider why we were teaching canon books. How did such books relate to the students? What were they being offered that they couldn’t find in more [...]
This step I really struggle with. On the one hand, I would love to give students the opportunity to select and explore the topic of their choosing for the research paper. I believe by doing so, the students will select topics that they are interested in; thus, invoking more intrigue and passion for the assignment. [...]
