My 7th & 8th grade, urban, black, mostly female students, are far behind in reading and writing skills compared to their (mostly white) peers in counties just 5 miles away. This is because legions of people, public and private, have given up on them. These kids are just as capable as anyone, but some basic technology goes a long way to catch them up. With an Elmo-style projector, students will be easily able to follow me modeling close reading and writing strategies; to see artifacts zoomed in upon; to see and take quick drills and warm ups; to read announcements, and to complete exit tickets--all without delays or repeated verbal instructions.
These kids are very visual, and their home lives do not include pleasure reading. Therefore, I cannot expect them to just figure out what I'm doing. Explicit instruction is key for them, and certainly is the origin of their out-of-county peers' success. It is crucial that my strategies are easily seen in order for my students to feel motivated to follow me. The tasks are difficult enough; students can't be further burdened to strain here or there to see an edited paper, or a teacher annotated text. They must see what I'm doing in the moment, and not suffer lesson gaps which steal their attention elsewhere.
About my class
My 7th & 8th grade, urban, black, mostly female students, are far behind in reading and writing skills compared to their (mostly white) peers in counties just 5 miles away. This is because legions of people, public and private, have given up on them. These kids are just as capable as anyone, but some basic technology goes a long way to catch them up. With an Elmo-style projector, students will be easily able to follow me modeling close reading and writing strategies; to see artifacts zoomed in upon; to see and take quick drills and warm ups; to read announcements, and to complete exit tickets--all without delays or repeated verbal instructions.
These kids are very visual, and their home lives do not include pleasure reading. Therefore, I cannot expect them to just figure out what I'm doing. Explicit instruction is key for them, and certainly is the origin of their out-of-county peers' success. It is crucial that my strategies are easily seen in order for my students to feel motivated to follow me. The tasks are difficult enough; students can't be further burdened to strain here or there to see an edited paper, or a teacher annotated text. They must see what I'm doing in the moment, and not suffer lesson gaps which steal their attention elsewhere.
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