Those are the words that I heard as I let out a sigh of relief after completing my read-aloud. One of the girls was whispering (ok, it was pretty loud) to her classmates as I walked past and made my way to the back of the room. I thought it was funny on the one hand, but as with a lot of humor, it felt like there was some truth to her comments as well. During the read-aloud, I asked the students if they had ever had any teachers read a-loud in middle school and only one student raised her hand. I went on to explain that on our way to becoming teachers, we were reading many articles about education. Some articles recommended that Middle School read-alouds be used in conjunction with science or social studies classes and their teacher was giving us some time at the start of class to try one out. We had used over 30 minutes of her block science class and although we were hoping to activate and engage learning, it was hard to be sure.
I know that I spent way too much time over the last couple of weeks on my middle school read-aloud - probably more thinking about it than actually working on it. I could not get comfortable with the idea of reading in one of my dyad math and science classes. At first I thought about using a math novel for the read aloud, but could not find one that seemed to fit the level and subject matter of the students. Then I considered a novel about astronomy for science class and spent time on the internet looking for book that would "match" the class. I also spoke with my cohort members and decided that a magazine article might be a good fit (thanks Elizabeth!).
Finding an article was also a challenge. I picked an article about the Big Bang Theory, but changed course when we realized that the schedule dictated we both do our read-aloud the same day. After Sandy had the inspired idea to read a Native American myth about the stars and planets, I changed my article. I would find something about how stars are formed and we could have a discussion of the different ways people make sense of what they observe in the sky. Long story short, I will still revising the lesson plan at 5 AM yesterday before heading to school. It went pretty well, lots of room for future improvement and we will have the chance next week when we teach our first lesson. I also learned from my Master teacher that he uses his librarian at school to help him select novels and other materials when he his trying to enhance content areas. I needed a librarian consultation!
Next up, my vignette first draft. I have a tendency to over analyze things (yes, I am a South) and so I am going to make a conscious effort to write more and think less - wish me luck!
Hi Susan
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you decided to read aloud to your middle schoolers. My own feeling is that most of them secretly like it - a lot - but sometimes don't say so because read alouds are what happens in elementary school. Just as is true with younger kids, I think read alouds can be a great way to open up complex ideas for discussion - and everyone can participate. Were you pleased with the discussion that followed your read aloud? It sounds as if you and Sandy had a great one-two punch plan.
Nancy
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience doing my read aloud in a middle school classroom. Knowing that it wasn't something students were used to at that age, I questioned whether it was a productive use of my time, or theirs. I'm in a math class as well and I struggled with finding a math related book or article that would be appropriate for what the students were learning. I ended up choosing a story that was more for the purpose of community building than having to do with the math curriculum. While I don't know if they really learned anything from the discussion, I agree with Nancy that they were secretly happy we were doing it. So while it may not have served the original objective, it may be relevant to reflect on unexpected learnings.
I can only imagine how you felt having to read to a group of older kids. I am sure it was difficult to find something to captivate their attention. Have the students already learned or are learning about stars? I remember being a middle schooler and having a teacher read to us at the being of each class. She usually would pick a piece from a book to try and pull in our attention to want to read the book. Often the book or piece she read to us had something to do with what we were learning about in class. Sometimes she would read poems. I know that some students did see this as a good time waster but when I look back on it I realize that the teacher got me to read books that I normally would not read, and it helped pull the students into the class from chatting into the hallways.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you may have heard that one student say something that it was a good waste of time, I can't help but wonder if was able to take something away from your reading but was too embarrassed to admit it to her friend.