Ms. Q

One of my goals is always to have students realize that particular words and phrases are chosen for a reason in literature and rhetoric - people don't just jot down whatever comes into their mind and then have it published

This is something I work hard at getting the kids to understand as well. It doesn’t necessarily work all the time. There is so little time to spend with the students, it is something which usually gets glossed over and I haven’t found the best way to do this besides the basic writing process of brainstorming, writing, revising.

Do you use a particular lesson plan model for your plans

I don’t use a particular one per say. I follow Hunter’s model and/or the model used by my district. I am looking for a copy of said form, but can’t find it at the moment. The only differences between the two models I remember are: 1) a section for key vocabulary and how they will be emphasized, and 2) language objectives AND content objectives. The latter is due to our large population of ELL learners. It has been incorporated into all classrooms, however, some of us (including me occasionally) still struggle to work this into our daily lessons.

What do you think about collaborating on an assignment or two together and teaching them around the same time, then comparing results?

Absolutely! Let me work through my first few weeks of plan a bit more and see if I can swing the Native American part (I usually don’t spend much time on this). I would be very interested in doing this. Creating the lessons from the bottom up and then teaching them and sharing results could be enlightening!

a sort of spiral curriculum for reinforcement

I was reviewing the Understanding by Design book and some of Marzano’s work again last night and I came across the idea of a spiral curriculum. I have to say, I am confused by it. I understand curriculum is not linear—what is taught in the beginning isn’t necessarily taught because it is THE beginning of the subject and it should be referred back to through time. What does spiral curriculum mean to you and how do you plan for it?

there's a reason so many works remain in our canon as "classic" literature, and are continually referenced (especially in parody or satire), …make greater connections between themselves and the more global community

One of the ways I approach this is to bring in as much of the popular culture in which the curriculum is parodied or satirized. Once the kids begin to see these allusions themselves, they begin to notice things that might be allusions and seek out the knowledge needed to make sense of it. I use comics, cartoons, movies, TV programs, music, etc.

What, in your experience, are the most difficult concepts for students to learn?

Like you, IRONY is one of the hardest concepts to get my kids to understand. In fact, while I can understand it, it is usually hard to explain or figure out how I understand it! Besides irony, my students struggle with mood and tone most. Theme, it depends on the work being studied. They didn’t struggle with themes in Huck Finn, but they did when we studied The Grapes of Wrath. Another area my kids struggle in is REVISION. I work hard to teach revision and editing as TWO SEPARATE steps, which all authors go through.