School: High School
Teacher: Ms. B.
2/20/2003 Period 3 1005-1113
Demographics: Ms. B.'s general level World History class had sixteen sophomore students. High School is a diverse school with students from Anytown and surrounding towns. This class is a good representation of race, and socioeconomic classes.
Ms. B. starts all of her classes with a little chit chat about how the week is going, what she did over the weekend, or any current affairs relevant to the lesson or not. She explained that she probably enjoys this more than the students, but helps to get them relaxed and ready to work. During this class the students broke into groups to discuss their reflection questions they had answered last night and to go over the chapter review in preparation for tomorrow's test. My opinion of chapter review questions are the same as Ms. B.'s: students only read enough to find the answers to the questions. For this reason she has them answer reflection questions that require reading of the entire selection and to form opinions on an event rather than just describe it or list the details.
The chapter was on Roman history 390 B.C. to Augustus. The groups of three discussed the questions and reviewed the study questions as prep while Ms. B. went from group to group to offer insight and keep discussions rolling in an orderly fashion. I sat in with a group of three boys who were enthralled with the city planning of the Roman Empire and the changes Caesar had made to the city and the way new cities were established under his rule. This time allowed them to collaborate on the things they found interesting about the material in a forum that helped them apply this to the material that must be learned for the test. This class was pure review and the students were clear that this time was to help prepare them for the test. One student said to me "It is easier to remember the stuff you don't care so much about when you get to talk about the cool stuff." Enough said.
Peer discussion helps students understand the text. By sharing ideas they get another point of view and with provided thought inducing questions they help each other refine their thinking, clarify the text and explore related issues. Ms. B. helped them along in their discussions and made sure they had the right ideas and were exploring relevant topics. (Billmeyer, pg49)
I thought this was successful class time and I would have done little differently. Some of the more abstract reflection questions may have suited the class a little better in a guided discussion with the class as a while ensuring everyone could take part. For a student to form opinions on history can be difficult, so this post-reading discussion is crucial. The reflective conversations about the reading finishes the cognitive process allowing the students to evaluate for themselves their comprehension of the text as well as estimate how much more preparation they need for the test and to better grasp the concepts within the reading.
Ms. B. did not have work samples she felt comfortable giving me on short notice, and I did not want to ask students for notes, but I did get a copy of the test the students were preparing for.
References:
Billmeyer, R. & Barton, M.L. (1998). Teaching reading in the content area: If not me then who? Aurora, Colorado, McREL.
Vacca, R.T. & Vacca J.L. (2002). Content area reading: Literacy and learning across the curriculum. Boston, Allyn and Bacon.
Sample Test