Journal 2-3

English 11
I finally had the opportunity to take notes during class!! So, here's what happened...

The students began working on their Pre-Colony Writing project today. Step one was to choose three pieces of literature to work with over the next few days. In past years, I gave only the most cursory instructions: "Choose three pieces from this list." was about the extent of what I would say. I would then write down what each group chose.

Today, though, I gave more specific instructions. Students were directed, as usual, to choose three pieces of literature. I added another component, though. The directions were written on the board: #1 - Reconvene your group; #2 - Survey the literature; #3 - Choose your group's three articles; #4 - Write a one-paragraph response in which you list the following things: the titles and authors you chose, the reasons for your choice, and what you hope to learn from either reading this literature, or what you hope to learn during this unit. I plan to save these responses until the end of the unit and then redistribute them so students can reflect on whether this unit met their expectations or not.

reflection
In previous years, students would put very little effort in to choosing their literature. Many groups would choose their pieces based entirely on the number of pages in the required reading. Some groups wouldn't even open their books during the choice time! All this happened despite my consistent reminders to "think about your choices" and "look at what you want to read before deciding."

This year, I noticed a HUGE difference. First, students actually looked at the pieces in pretty great detail. Then, I noticed a lot of conversation - they were discussing the contents of the pieces, the setting, the overall themes and so on. I heard at least five groups (over three periods) discuss what they were learning in their US History class and choose pieces that offered an opposing viewpoint so they could learn the other side. Some groups chose to read pieces based on their personal interests (setting, what really happened to the Pilgrims). There were a few groups that discussed their choice process by referring to the length of the piece, or to the title only, but most groups really evaluated the pieces in terms of what they were interested in, how it would benefit them in other classes, and what they could learn. I think I'll compile the "what we want to learn" portion of the paragraph and post it somewhere for easy access as we complete this unit. I also noticed that since I gave more specific directions this time, the student's responses tended to be a little more in depth. I'll keep and eye on that, though.