Planning/Preparation: Evidence Item #3
Item Name:
Article of the Week (AOW) Assignment
Description of Item:
To make sure non-fiction is read and discussed, every Monday includes the reading and analysis of a relevant non-fiction article whose content, themes, etc. connect with the unit being taught at the time.
Context & Date Used:
10th grade English II, All Year
Reflection:
I am a big fan of hitting multiple birds with one stone, so instead of just reading random articles and discussing them, I have my students complete an AOW sheet throughout the whole week for homework. On Monday, we read and discuss the article, and then they have a week to complete the accompanying sheet, answer ONE (1) multiple choice question, and respond to a constructed response question, all modeled off of actual past Keystone prompts.
Although these assignments add up and can become saturated, I've updated and tweaked this assignment over the past year to better accommodate my students' lives and importance of reading non-fiction articles. For example, I used to have them do four central ideas, but now only one because of quality over quantity. I realized that they're more prone to actually learn how to write proper sentence types if they only do one vs. four at a time.
What I also learned is that after doing a potential of 27+ articles by the time of the Keystone exam, students are much more comfortable reading, highlighting, and answering questions on test day. The best analogy that I can come up with is shooting free throws. A coach requires each athlete to take an x amount per practice because it'll greater their chances of making the one that matters during the game.
Although these assignments add up and can become saturated, I've updated and tweaked this assignment over the past year to better accommodate my students' lives and importance of reading non-fiction articles. For example, I used to have them do four central ideas, but now only one because of quality over quantity. I realized that they're more prone to actually learn how to write proper sentence types if they only do one vs. four at a time.
What I also learned is that after doing a potential of 27+ articles by the time of the Keystone exam, students are much more comfortable reading, highlighting, and answering questions on test day. The best analogy that I can come up with is shooting free throws. A coach requires each athlete to take an x amount per practice because it'll greater their chances of making the one that matters during the game.