As previously said by others, though comfortable teaching in front of students, I knew I’d be nervous in front of my peers and with nervousness comes unwanted perspiration; so I put much thought into what fabric and color shirt to wear.
With regard to my presentation, I felt it went well overall. I did trip over my tongue a few times and my word choices may not have been the best due to my nervousness. For instance, the reason I didn’t share what I had written was because by doing so would break the theme that Leana wrote about, which I said, but not clearly. I felt her story would segue better into the next activity of memorable comments from our adolescence, which Tan’s narrator does.
I also neglected to say that because student populations can be quite diverse in this area, I would expect students to use their cultural knowledge (whether social, political, or cultural) to better relate to the story. This personal knowledge could be an invitation for discussion. Also, it m ay not have been obvious that circumstances mentioned in the story such as the mother’s actions of abandoning her babies could lead to debate if some students viewed the act as cruelty versus necessity.
In Norton, Tan’s story is used to illustrate setting, which I didn’t mentioned either in my presentation or lesson plan. To me, though it did provide an example of setting, I chose to focus on the human and cultural connections. In a classroom, I could briefly examine the setting. Also, I know from experience that setting is discussed in depth during third and fourth grades.
Thank you to those who participated. I look forward to your comments/suggestions.
Susan
Susan,
I enjoyed how you connected the story with students own cultural experiences. I agree, because of the diversity in this area, students are able to better connect with the story and their peers. I also appreciated the enthusiasm you showed in teaching your lesson and making sure everyone was prepared ;).
Susan,
This was a great way to lead into the story. Younger readers sometimes have a hard time with stories that seem so disconnected in their narrative format. Your framing exercise would help students focus on the cultural/belonging aspect of the story.
I enjoyed it!
Edith
Susan, I really liked your lesson. You seemed to relaxed. The beginning exercise was good. I will add it to my collection of stolen lesson plans! Also, keep in touch over summer! lc
My favorite part of your presentation was beginning with the opening line of the story and then stopping. I thought such a technique would be very effective for getting their attention. Afterall, what’s more fun than talking about ME.
Completing the three column notes as you had on the board was an excellent idea, but I would have needed a lot of help and/or a lot more time. On my own, I would not have come up with the list we made as a class. I cannot remember if you had intended it to be a group or individual activity. Naomi