Text: Chapter 10: Indiscriminately from the Skies in Carson, R. (1962). Silent spring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Engagement Strategy: Save the Last Word for MeResource: McLaughlin, M. (2015) Content Area Reading: Teaching and Learning for College and Career Readiness. Boston: Pearson
The text I chose for this assignment was roughly 8 pages from Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. The chapter is titled “Indiscriminately from the Skies”, and describes the broadcasting of DDT via retired WWII planes. I chose this reading for a number of reasons. First, Carson’s writing style is extremely clear. She does not bog down the reader with technical terms and when anything is mentioned that involves a deeper understanding, she makes sure to explain it in a few sentences. On a personal note, I believe this was the reason that Silent Spring became such an incredibly popular book upon its release. Regarding the particular chapter, the theme goes from explaining how the DDT was broadcasted to a brief history of how gypsy moths arrived and spread to the US, and then finishes with the effects of the DDT in New York. In 8 pages, it covers a large amount of information that the students have learned about in my class. It is also the text that some say started the outcry to form the EPA, which adds a huge historical component to the reading as well.
For an engagement strategy, I will be using the “Save the Last Word for Me” activity. In this activity the students will write a passage from their reading and the page number on the front of an index card. On the back they write why this quote stood out to them and what it means to them. When they get to class, they will get into small groups (four or five) (2015 McLaughlin). One student will begin and read their chosen quote. After that, each student around the table will explain their thoughts on the quote. Finally, the student that started reads their written thoughts on the back of the card. I would add extra time at the end of each student’s round so that they can compare their written thoughts to those of the groups. I would then have the students share any interesting occurrences with the rest of the class to wrap up the period.
I chose this particular activity because there are a few components that add to successful comprehension of this reading. First, each student is asked to share with each other in small groups. This adds an extra aspect of motivation to the assignment, so that students do not let their peers down by skipping the assignment. Also, while in small groups, they may be more comfortable sharing with only a few students rather than the entire class which can promote the exchanging of ideas. Finally, it may allow for students to clarify sections of the reading that one of their peers did not understand.
Ted, I was very interested in your rationale for choosing this text. It seems like this is not "dumbed down" at all, but you note that the author does not use a lot of unfamiliar vocabulary. I think that this is so important for student motivation. It can be very frustrating to be expected to read and comprehend a text where you do not understand a good portion of the vocabulary. When Abi and I chose an article, we were looking more for interesting and meaningful topics, but I think in the future, I would like to pay more attention to the length, complexity, and writing style.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of choosing a reading strategy that has students choose a quote that stands out to them. By making them write why they relate to the passage, it forces them to think about their prior knowledge and their own life in relation to this new information. I also like how open-ended this strategy is. It doesn't constrain the students into one certain type of response, it is simply "what stood out to you." I think that this, paired with the sharing of ideas can greatly benefit the whole class and expand their perspectives.
Have you tried this strategy in your class? If so, how has it been received by your students?
Ted, I agree with Jennie, I thought your rationale for choosing this text was really great. I liked the idea that unfamiliar ideas are described. I think it is good to chose articles that are to the point. Students can often get lost when there is a lot of unnecessary information included, whether in a text or a test.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading through the different strategies, I found this one very interesting. Since Dani and I chose a shorter article because of our personal circumstances, I did not feel like this strategy was appropriate. However, I enjoyed your explanation. I also liked the group aspect of the strategy. I agree that students are sometimes more willing to share on a smaller level versus in front of the entire class. I additionally liked that the quote sharer is the last person to respond and they are responsible for the wrap up. As each student gets a turn to be the sharer, they will be practicing skills like summarizing which students sometimes have difficulty with. Having a time limit would also force students to get to the point and include only what is important.
Ted, I really like the idea of using a strategy which allows students to pick out parts of the text which are meaningful to them. I was thinking about using this strategy for my own article. I also really like how you mention the motivation for students to do the assignment because they know they have to share what they do. When I was teaching at Randellstown many of my students would never complete or hand in homework assignments. I wonder if knowing they had to share with the class would have changed this. This reading is also interesting because of the ties to history. I think having students make these cross discipline connections is really important.
ReplyDeleteTed, since we shared this article I agree with your assessment of it. Very to the point, but not dumbed down at all. Writing was clear and things well explained, but I found myself thinking about a lot of the connections with prior knowledge and current events. I think that this strategy works well to connect on those multiple levels. There is a certain point in the text when talking about spraying for moths when all I could think about is current control methods of mosquitoes in the light of the zika virus. if I were a student this would have been a great strategy for me to integrate the reading into current events and add a different element to a historical text. This strategy definitely would go along way as a tool in a constructivist classroom by allowing the students to construct meaning from the text. I also think it relates to engagement theory by allowing students to choose what their passage as well, as well as social interaction. This is a tool I would definitely to the tool box as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteTed, though I like this strategy and appreciate its power for those that actively participate I have to bring up less than ideal experiences with ninth graders and ask how you might address a student who wantonly fails to participate in a strategy like this. I have had students, have one currently in fact, that I'm certain would relish the opportunity to grandstand by not doing it. The natural consequence to him of course being a lack of comprehension with text, but the cost then would be forced upon his group as well. I suppose the obvious response is exclusion and modification in future instances of "Save the last word...", he does something else while others benefit from this collaborative activity... and that may be incentive enough after a try or two. Even that first event though, how do would you tip the scale back to balanced for the group members of this non-participant? Is it even a necessary consideration do you think?
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DeleteI am curious if there is a reason the student has given for refusing to participate of if it is simply a power struggle or motivational issue. Depending on this, there would be different ways to approach the problem. I agree that collaborative activities are challenging for a group if there is a non-participant or combative/challenging personality involved.
DeleteLance, You make a really good point I have also had many students who do not get involved in class. The one time I tried to have them do a group assignment the response was negative and many students asked "why can't we just do book work" or "why do we have to do this". I have to say though that in my case I do not think exclusion would have prompted a different result.
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