Strategies
Since each of the works are relatively brief, and I have only one set of books, the majority of reading will take place in the classroom (with the exception of the later chapters in the Debo book). We have fifty-minute class periods and this is approximately a six to eight-week unit, so there will be adequate time to complete the reading in class. Any supplemental texts will be provided as photocopies, or posted online in Google Classroom. During reading, I will stop frequently to check for understanding, provide clarification and introduce and guide close reading activities.
The desks in my classroom are arranged in groups of four, so students can easily work together. They will use the classroom sets of marker boards to answer some questions as a group (brainstorming observations about structure, or how the books relate to each other, for example) and hold them up, so I can easily check for understanding. This emphasis on group work will be especially helpful for my ELL students, those new to the AP English program, and my struggling readers. Students will annotate while reading, using specific symbols to chart their observations and questions; this will help my struggling readers by facilitating self-monitoring. They will also identify and chart text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-word connections on post it notes, to increase their engagement with the reading by drawing connections between the book and their lives and experiences as well as the world around them. Activities with vocabulary in context will be incorporated periodically to assist with vocabulary development.
We will engage in writing activities in the form of informal written responses to the reading, as well as writing “Where I’m From” poems, allowing them to reflect on their personal histories as we discuss issues of culture and identity. The use of models for writing and audio materials and visual clips helps students who are more visual and auditory learners. Similarly, the use of advance organizers helps them organize their thoughts (the OPTICS protocol, for example). We will use the rhetorical triangle (the inter-relationship between speaker, audience, subject, purpose and context) to frame our analysis of each work, so that visual will be central to our discussions.
I will use formative and summative assessments, allowing students to demonstrate their learning throughout the unit, including an in-class essay modeled after an AP exam essay. There will be small assessments throughout that utilize digital technology, such as Plickers and Kahoot, allowing me to quickly poll students to check their understanding of ideas in the books.
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