With mandated testing season looming over us like a dense fog, it is exceptionally important to help students clearly see what they really have locked, waiting to be used in their brains. (I know you see what I did there) Last week, i wanted the kids to clear the air and their brains to see that dozens of examples are lurking in the depths of their brains, wanting to find their ways onto the litany of essays yet to be written.
The lesson started with explaining the different Hot Topics on the chart as well as the quotes and sayings sections. I completed an example to show them expectations then walked through an example we were all exposed to by a guest speaker. On January 16th, Sixtus Atabong, author of My Father's Gift, came to speak to the student body of my campus. My kids took notes so that we could fully discuss Mr. Atabong's life experiences in the context of our Hot Topics. As we progress through the document embedded in this post, we saw that his experiences alone applied to almost every single topic on our chart. YEAH!!
Next, we discussed the people they have been researching as well as fictional characters that would work; the kids were psyched! Boxes began to fill up, and confidence crept up with each example logged. We talked for a few more minutes about movies, books, and people in their lives, all of which were applicable to the various topics. The kids then went to work on their own, flying through the creation of their personal example banks to use as a reference tool and a study sheet before d-day.
The lesson started with explaining the different Hot Topics on the chart as well as the quotes and sayings sections. I completed an example to show them expectations then walked through an example we were all exposed to by a guest speaker. On January 16th, Sixtus Atabong, author of My Father's Gift, came to speak to the student body of my campus. My kids took notes so that we could fully discuss Mr. Atabong's life experiences in the context of our Hot Topics. As we progress through the document embedded in this post, we saw that his experiences alone applied to almost every single topic on our chart. YEAH!!
Next, we discussed the people they have been researching as well as fictional characters that would work; the kids were psyched! Boxes began to fill up, and confidence crept up with each example logged. We talked for a few more minutes about movies, books, and people in their lives, all of which were applicable to the various topics. The kids then went to work on their own, flying through the creation of their personal example banks to use as a reference tool and a study sheet before d-day.