Strategies
The activities set up throughout this unit require students to be familiar with a discussion model and small group work. My classroom is set up so that the desks sit in a U shaped formation. This provides the students with a clear view of each other and encourages discussion among students rather than discussion between a student and the teacher. Often on discussion days I will pull the chairs into a large circle to encourage more exchanges between the students. In classes with reluctant participants I have developed a class participation chart. This can be created with a simple class list. Every time a student speaks I put a mark next to their name on the chart. Before beginning discussion I explain to the class how many times each student is expected to participate. This number changes depending on the class size. This is an effective and simple technique, but it does create expectations for points every time we run a class discussion. I only use this strategy as a last resort. In addition to the large group discussion the students should be prepared to do small group work. I always organize the groups myself within the first month of school. The goal of each group is to mix all ability and participation levels within one group. Also, since students work in the same group all year, even the shy students become more comfortable and increase their participation.
This unit also requires students to perform scenes in front of the class. The groups set up for the small group work are also used in this activity because the group has already developed a bond and have become comfortable working with each other. Whenever students perform or speak in front of the class I ensure that the class is attentive by making each student responsible for an evaluation of the speech or performance. This evaluation is then used to calculate a percentage of the speaker or performer's grade. This encourages students to take the process seriously and not cause distractions during the speech or performance.
The double entry journal is another technique used in this unit, and I believe many English teachers use this technique in their classrooms. I have encountered this type of note taking and reflecting in many different forms and under many different names, but I find it easiest to call it a double entry journal because it has two types of entries. It is rather simple to create. Students simply take their notebook and draw a line down the middle of the page. On the left side of the page they record quotations from the text and on the right they analyze or interpret the quotation. In my school district students are asked to pull quotations that reveal significant moments in the text from grade six on through high school, so this journal moves a step beyond that exercise. The analysis on the right hand side of the journal requires that the students think carefully about the text and encourages a close reading. I also have one simple rule when it comes to the right side of the journal. The analysis must be as long as or longer than the quotation under discussion. Students are expected to bring their journal to class everyday. When there is a specific reading assignment due I ask the students to open their journals to the last page and I walk around the room and use a stamper to mark the end of their notes in their notebook. At the end of the first part of the unit I will collect the notebooks and assess the quality of analysis. I use the stamps to check to see who was doing their homework consistently throughout the unit. I combine these two things together to come up with their grade for the double entry journal. For the section of the unit on The Taming of the Shrew I will collect five journals each day to take home and read. Each time I read the journal I will comment on it and assess it for being up to date on the reading and for the quality of analysis.
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