Candidate makes meaningful and creative connections between ELA curriculum and developments in culture, society, and education.
Making texts meaningful to students is a primary goal of English teachers; it's pertinent that we teach students to connect the text to their own lives. This can be achieved in multiple ways. Lessons should consider what occurrences are going on in the world and society currently.
My 8th grade students will be focusing on argument for the end of January and beginning of February. I hope to teach them how to write argumentatively to businesses/organizations in order to state a complaint or to resolve a conflict. I can't predict exactly what students will decide to write because I want them to choose the topics they'll write about. For example, students could write about an important issue they'd like to address to their house representative. Or they could write to the local newspaper about the fact that they believe their school doesn't receive enough local coverage. I want the topics to be authentic and applicable to the students' interests.
The texts chosen in the classroom can also make meaningful connections between the classroom and the current culture and society. And most classical texts, although written decades or even centuries ago, are relevant to most issues today. Linked text sets are a great way to implement classical literature and the popular literature young adults are reading today. Linked text sets are good tools for addressing social issues because each linked text set can be based around a particular theme. Click on the following link to see a linked text set based around Prejudice in "To Kill a Mockingbird." http://unteachingprejudice.wikispaces.com/
Standard 2.5
Candidate makes meaningful and creative connections between ELA curriculum and developments in culture, society, and education.
Making texts meaningful to students is a primary goal of English teachers; it's pertinent that we teach students to connect the text to their own lives. This can be achieved in multiple ways. Lessons should consider what occurrences are going on in the world and society currently.