When I sit down to make a lesson plan or unit, the first question I ask myself is this: will this engage my most reluctant learners?
Here’s something I know with twenty years of teaching under my belt …
If you engage a student in a conversation about their musical preferences and interests, they’ll talk your ear off for hours.
When my students walked into class on Monday, the meme featured at the top of this message was proudly projected on my screen.
TODAY’S MUSIC IS GARBAGE!!!
The bell rang … I stood at the screen with a provocative smile … and I said …
CHANGE MY MIND!!!
It was awesome … we argued for the better half of the period and the kids really got into it.
In a nutshell, I used this discussion as a launching pad to revisit and solidify how to write argumentative-synthesis.
Students did a tab-bit of research to help them defend and substantiate their positions.
So, in today’s writing workshop video – I walk you and your students through the process of constructing this essay while incorporating my templates. There’s a ton of models and exemplars, so the process should be crystal clear.
If you’d like the materials for the unit (prompt handout, articles, PPT featured in my writing workshop, etc.) – just drop me a line.
Here’s the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UchTeArsBo
And I got some great news this week!
Timm Freitas, Brandon Abdon, and I got invited to present together at this coming fall’s NCTE conference in Anaheim, California.
I’m beyond stoked … what an honor!
And a number of folks have inquired about whether or not I’ll be offering another Teach It “Write” 5-Week Mastermind.
These sessions have been a lot of fun and interest is high … so why not?
The next one will begin Thursday May 5th at 8 pm EST.
Reach out if you’d like more details, or visit my webpage
https://teachinghow2write.com/teach-it-write-mastermind/
Happy teaching and happy writing!
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