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Angelina leans in close. "Gordo, why do you think nobody wants to pitch to Caballo?"
You can't win against Caballo. If you strike him out you'll make him look bad
then he'll get you back. Gordo is not listening
Angelica, this is baseball, it's a game he says and smiles at her.
I choose to read my novel to my students because
I feel that they get plenty of opportunities
throughout the day
in content reading such as social studies, science, and math,
but with a novel, especially one that even though it's at grade level, maybe
above the level of several of my scholars, it's really important for them
to hear what it's like when somebody reads it accurately and with expression and
give them-gives the characters a correct intonation. If I were having scholars read
that aloud I feel that they may lose something in the translation.
Particularly because as with all classes my class is not all entirely at grade level.
And this way all scholars have the access to the novel that they need.
So we've just read chapter 13 of the novel 90 Miles to Havana, and before we
move on to activity we need to do some review to get prepared for our lesson today.
I brought out an old poster from a couple weeks ago when we learned to cite
textual evidence to support conclusions. At that
time we came up with our language objective
which we're gonna review together right now. If you'll please read this aloud with me
ready begin: >>class: I will quote...
>>teacher: Although the novel is not a direct part
of the nov-of the RCD unit, we do use the novels to address the RCD unit.
So for instance one of the big topics is being able to cite evidence
and write an opinion paper based on that. So throughout the daily instruction
they're often asked to cite their evidence
or to form an opinion and support that with evidence from the text.
Each of you will be receiving a separate poster.
Your posters are not the same. You do not get to compare them yet.
Please keep an eye on your poster only. I need
team captains to come pick up a poster. I do consider DOK levels when I make the
questions for a group. I tend to...
if it's going to be an activity that the scholars are working on independently
and I'm acting only as a facilitator,
keep it at a level 2 to level 3. Level 4 requires significantly more
intense research uh-a lot more time and a lot more discussion.
>>student 1: His uncle gets shot by the... >>student 2: Oooh yeahhh. That was kinda...
>>student 3: They shot him up-they shot him in the desert.
They tied him to the tree, right and then...
>>student 2: yeah >>student 3: they shot him and then they
untied him and then they burried him, and then they left all the people to die there.
>>student 1: Ok, so...what if I put
they both have difficulty with the people that they're staying with?
>>student 4: Yeah >>student 3: Yeah
>>teacher: Uh, my scholars are just like any other group in the district.
Um, I actually do not group according to
academic abilities. Many teachers put a high, a medium, and a low scholar at a table.
I however throw that entirely out the window and focus completely
on communication skills.
A-I look at the various different ways that they collaborate. I think about
who is more likely to
need to be drawn out when answering questions, and who is more likely to do
that drawing out. And I try to put complimentary personality and
collaboration styles at each table.
Salvo has a dangerous life where he wanders instead of going into the bushes.
Okay, who came up with that one? >>students: All of us.
>>teacher: All of you together. Okay, can you find any phrases
in a Long Walk to Water-or I'm sorry any sentences or paragraphs or portions
in the actual text that support this? Because this is your theory
now support that with evidence. >>student 3: I think my theory is that a...
remember when the teacher said, don't go back to your families, go into the bushes.
>>teacher: Oh, I need a high five for that one. That is a really good memory. Okay,
so now what you have to do is find that in the text.
Find that section. Did that happen early in the novel, in the center the novel, or very
late toward the end?
While they're working in these groups my job as a teacher is really more
of facilitation. I walk around obviously making sure that all groups stay on task,
but if you have chosen
an interesting enough topic and give them create-creative enough questions
they do tend to stay on task because they want to be able to discuss this and
come up with interesting, unique answers.
A novel pack is a series of questions and activities that I put
together as we read the novel.
Uh, sometimes I'll do one where it's the entire novel from beginning to end.
Often that's a little overwhelming though, so for instance with this novel
I do five chapters at a time. They're a series of comprehension questions
that address pretty much the first three levels of DOK.
The novel packs are largely independent so they can be worked on throughout the day.
I do also provide time, structured time, during the day where they need to work on it.
But it's one of those sorta early finisher activities of if you have
already finish your science it's great to be able to pull out your novel pack.
Pull out your novel and know that independently
or with just a little assistance from a partner you can easily answer those
comprehension questions.
Novel packs can come from a variety sources. Uh, for the most part I make my own.
As I read the novel-I usually read the novel before
I give it-present it to scholars and I write questions as I go. Just what am I
thinking aloud and
what sort of predictions do I make? What connections can I draw between the
characters? Whatever occurs to me as I read I sort of jot down and later those
turn into the comprehension questions and the activities and you know
the timelines or whatever I'm having them work on.
Before we begin our presentations
let's talk about what it looks like to be a good audience member and what it
looks like to be a good presenter.
Are there any suggestions of what it would look like to be good at-
being an audience member? How would an audience member react? Jesse?
It's important to first establish expectations.
If a scholar doesn't have a clear understanding of the end result, they're
not going to have any
ability to plan on how to get there. Basically it provides them with the
roadmap of where they're going with that particular activity. So before presentations
I always asked them to give ideas of what an excellent presentation looks
like - what we should be striving for.
>>student 5: Caballo says no one's here to stop me from-from being
a big shot, and you better remember that. >>teacher: Ok, so
when Larry Dunn is caught being a bully by Byron,
and Byron intercedes, he reacts in a very certain way.
You said he doesn't respond, he just says, "I ain't"
And he's not going to react to Byron. Well when Cabello gets caught in a
position where he's bullying by Alquinio, does he react the same way by being calm
or does he react differently and how?
>>student 6: He acts differently because he-he hits like he hits back.
>>teacher: Ahh, so Larry Dunn reacts without violence and Caballo reacts with violence
to being called out for bullying.
After they've done their presentation we do a debrief
where we spend a few minutes just talking about what went very right and
what we maybe could use some work in the future.
Now I want you to identify the one thing where
you thought ooh, I really needed some more
work on that one. So show me the number of the one you think you needed more
work that can be our focus for our next presentation activity.
Oh, I see the same number showing up amongst most people here.
I'm looking at numbers 3 and 4: Make Eye Contact and Do Not Read.
So I'm actually gonna circle these because by the next time we are
presenting I want see this really solid: Making eye contact with your audience
and not just standing up here to read your poster. That's what a really good
presentation will look like.
Although teachers all use novels to teach,
it doesn't always look the same in every classroom.
Uh, I really just have taken it and sort of streamlined and
expected more from my scholars and given them-them
those expectations. If they have the expectations, they will rise to the occasion.
>>student 7: No, he's mean to Rollo. >>student 8: He's cruel to both of Rollo.
>>student 8: [reads mumbling]
>>student 9: New kids; he's cruel to new kids. >>student 7: Oh yeah; he's cruel to new kids.
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