Relatable Topics- When picking topics for my students to work with I always make sure it's something they can be inspired by or relate to. My students come from backgrounds of poverty, abuse, and often pain. When selecting materials they have to be culturally relevant to them. I can't teach them about the Holocaust, and not relate it to them or by connecting it to the civil rights movement or slavery since all of my students are African American. Making things current is a big deal as well. I always try to tie in a current event with anything they read about, and anything current I always try to make historical. Buy in is so necessary, by doing that I am creating life long learners.
Experience Matters- My students often live in their own little bubble called West Jackson. Many have never ventured beyond the city limits or the immediate ones surrounding. I feel that the most important thing for my students is to give them field trips, or learning experiences as I like to call them. We venture to Jackson State University quite often since Blackburn Middle School is housed on its campus. This offers my students historical lessons about the civil rights movement, as well as exposure to college life, and college education. My students have participated in college level classes, and college level historical, scientific, and artistic projects at Jackson State University and other schools.
Lifelong Tools- Giving my students life long tools like how to use word, powerpoint, and excel are very important to me as an English Teacher. These are things that they should have to use in high school, and will have to use in college. In such a technological age, and an accelerated age, I find that it is necessary to prepare my students for life as soon as possible. This may mean 6th or 7th graders learning how to type an essay or create their own powerpoint, or do heavy research related to a topic. As long as it's mentioned in the common core standards I'm using it!
Experience Matters- My students often live in their own little bubble called West Jackson. Many have never ventured beyond the city limits or the immediate ones surrounding. I feel that the most important thing for my students is to give them field trips, or learning experiences as I like to call them. We venture to Jackson State University quite often since Blackburn Middle School is housed on its campus. This offers my students historical lessons about the civil rights movement, as well as exposure to college life, and college education. My students have participated in college level classes, and college level historical, scientific, and artistic projects at Jackson State University and other schools.
Lifelong Tools- Giving my students life long tools like how to use word, powerpoint, and excel are very important to me as an English Teacher. These are things that they should have to use in high school, and will have to use in college. In such a technological age, and an accelerated age, I find that it is necessary to prepare my students for life as soon as possible. This may mean 6th or 7th graders learning how to type an essay or create their own powerpoint, or do heavy research related to a topic. As long as it's mentioned in the common core standards I'm using it!