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High School English Teachers Chatboard

90 min class

by Krista H

Jun 23, 2011

Hi! I've been teaching high school for 4 years and need some help. I feel like I've hit a plateau. When I came to high school I went with what "they" did and that was using the literature text. The problem is our test scores are dropping and the students are disengaged. So, here's my question...

If you had 90 minutes and 90 days to teach English, how would you set up your classroom?

What are some novels you use for 9th grade and American literature?

THanks!

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Teri We mostly use the literature book here, too, with one or two novels to supplement. I split the block into segments. Bellwork = vocabulary. Then a grammar mini-lesson/activity. Then the main lesson--either literature or writing. As skylark said, I also use a lot of cooperative grouping.

It would be easier to give you advice if I knew what ...See MoreWe mostly use the literature book here, too, with one or two novels to supplement. I split the block into segments. Bellwork = vocabulary. Then a grammar mini-lesson/activity. Then the main lesson--either literature or writing. As skylark said, I also use a lot of cooperative grouping.

It would be easier to give you advice if I knew what your state test focused on.

On 6/23/11, skylark2868 wrote: > I'm on a block schedule also, but mine is an A/B day schedule. > In my state the students have a state English test that they > must pass in order to graduate. Our English department follows > our state framework closely, and I'm happy to say that the > students' scores are always near the top. > In my 90 min. period I always begin with a daily grammar > exercise - subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, etc.. Then I > will spend about 45 min. on the main lesson - literature or > writing. The period finishes with SSR. Almost everyday I have > the students moving - either to small groups or in pairs to do > something. We work bell-to-bell! > For 9th grade I've used the novels Tom Sawyer (they've never > read it before getting to high school), The Old Man and the > Sea, and usually Great Expectations (it's in the literature > book). We also do Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey - both in > the literature book. > For American Literature, I've used the novels Huck Finn, The > Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Great Gatsby. > I do use the literature book mostly, simply because my district > is in a rural area where the people are very conservative. > That's why there are no modern young adult novels on my list: > they bring too many complaints from parents. I don't require my > students to buy novels either because most of them come from > families who don't have $$$. > Keeping the students motivated is difficult, but I spend a lot > of time trolling on the internet, looking for new things to do > with my students. For example, even though I use the same > novels every year, I never teach them the same way! I can > always find something new to do. Every 5 or 6 years, I can go > back and repeat some activities that I've done before. This > coming school year will be my 33rd year teaching high school > English. I love what I do - cannot imagine doing anything > else! I hope that something I've said here will help! Oh, if > you are not part of Jim Burke's English Companion Ning, I > recommend that you join! It's free, and there are hundreds of > ideas there you can use. Also, check the lesson plans on this > web site. On > 6/23/11, Krista H wrote: >> Hi! I've been teaching high school for 4 years and need >> some help. I feel like I've hit a plateau. When I came to >> high school I went with what "they" did and that was using >> the literature text. The problem is our test scores are >> dropping and the students are disengaged. So, here's my >> question... >> >> If you had 90 minutes and 90 days to teach English, how >> would you set up your classroom? >> >> What are some novels you use for 9th grade and American >> literature? >> >> THanks!

Jun 23, 2011

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Jenna 6/23/11, Krista H wrote: >>> What are some novels you use for 9th grade and American >>> literature?

I have 50-minute periods, but here are the novels I use.

English 9 (year-length course): The Pigman, Speak, Romeo and Juliet, The Martian Chronicles, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Odyssey, and assorted YA books for ...See More

Jun 23, 2011

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Sara On 6/23/11, Krista H wrote: > Hi! I've been teaching high school for 4 years and need > some help. I feel like I've hit a plateau. When I came to > high school I went with what "they" did and that was using > the literature text. The problem is our test scores are > dropping and the students are disengaged. So, here's my > questio...See More

Jun 23, 2011

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Teacher What does your state test focus on? The test for Texas focus on writing. When we go to EOC testing in 2012-13, the kids will have no more than 26 lines to write on. You need to divide the 90 minutes into blocks of 20 minutes, more or less. This is what I am going to do this year. Our journal will be a paragraph a week. This should take a minimum of...See MoreWhat does your state test focus on? The test for Texas focus on writing. When we go to EOC testing in 2012-13, the kids will have no more than 26 lines to write on. You need to divide the 90 minutes into blocks of 20 minutes, more or less. This is what I am going to do this year. Our journal will be a paragraph a week. This should take a minimum of 3 days. The kids will brain storm their ideas. The kids will write a first draft, revise and edit and write a final copy. Vocabulary--The kids will define 5 vocabulary words. They will do this using ideas from Marzano. On Friday the kids will have a vocabulary test. Daily oral language everyday. Teach literary elements and short stories the first 6 weeks. The kids like the Washwoman, American History, any short story in lit. book. Test freqently on literary elements. Have students use literary elements in their writing. Have the students annotate lit. elements in fairy tales. Sometime during the first six weeks have your students write an autobiography. This will be their first big writing assignment. My ninth graders will read mythology, Fahrenheit 451, and possibly the Odyssey. My department head is the grammar queen. So we spend a lot of time on grammar. The kids work on sentences, parts of speech, etc all year long. On 6/23/11, Sara wrote: > On 6/23/11, Krista H wrote: >> Hi! I've been teaching high school for 4 years and need >> some help. I feel like I've hit a plateau. When I came to >> high school I went with what "they" did and that was using >> the literature text. The problem is our test scores are >> dropping and the students are disengaged. So, here's my >> question... >> >> If you had 90 minutes and 90 days to teach English, how >> would you set up your classroom? >> >> What are some novels you use for 9th grade and American >> literature? >> >> THanks! > > I think 90 minutes for a literature or English class is too > long... that said, it's what you have to do if that's how the > schedule is set up. Of course, your test scores are dropping > can come from many things some of which have nothing to do > with what happens in the classroom. > > My best advice is - what do the other building teachers do? Do > they just teach from the text every class all class? You might > watch Freedom Writers for some ideas of a supposedly very > interactive Lit class. I'd probably give over some time to a > break... and some time to either 'work' in groups or free > write though in a shorter length class I rarely do either of > those. > > Do you have a laptop and a video projector? I'd certainly look > up every novel, every topic and every related idea that comes > into my mind and punch them into google and youtube both to > see what comes up and use any of it that's possible. You can > even punch 90 minutes Lit class into youtube and see if > demonstration classes come up that you get some ideas from > because you surely can't lecture and/or discuss for 90 minutes > at a time. > > For 9th grade we've used Catcher in the Rye - they like it - > Macbeth - House on Mango Street, The Things They Carried. > Sometimes we've used Brave New World, an oldie but a goodie > that usually produces good discussions. If I had 90 minutes > blocks, I'd only use novels that are edgy and so have a chance > of stimulating diverse opinions and discussions.

Jun 29, 2011

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Niner I'd try to break up the 90 minutes into the smallest segments possible. Anything over 15 minutes and you lose them. Even if you're reading a short story aloud, break them up after a while and have groups discuss what's happened so far, what do they predict will happen, etc. Or get them up and walking around - put 6 big pieces of butcher paper aroun...See MoreI'd try to break up the 90 minutes into the smallest segments possible. Anything over 15 minutes and you lose them. Even if you're reading a short story aloud, break them up after a while and have groups discuss what's happened so far, what do they predict will happen, etc. Or get them up and walking around - put 6 big pieces of butcher paper around the room & then groups write a question they have on the paper - each group moves to the next station & writes their answers, move again, add more answers, etc. Then groups go back to original station and report back to the class on the findings/do they agree/why or why not .... etc.

This is just one example, but you have to keep them moving & changing up the activity and working in different mediums.

You could give them a short "break" after the 1st 45 minutes, but not a real break. It's a time to stretch their legs (not to use bathroom) but have them still do something - they can choose the activity: add a journal prompt to the journal jar, add a quote or song lyric to the quote wall, this is when they can check out a book from your room library (if you have that/allow it), sharpen pencils, clean up the room for an extra credit slip, they can also chat quietly, but when they have options like this many of them will choose one.

OR you can use the "break" simply as a break from the lesson, but to do something "fun" yet still using their brains: put up a brain teaser to solve, play a song and have them identify any figurative language they find, do a quick "mad libs" that reinforces Parts of Speech, and so on.

Regarding novels/longer texts: 9th grade: Romeo & Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, Speak, Flowers for Algernon American Lit: Fahrenheit 451, The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, Our Town

On 6/23/11, Krista H wrote: > Hi! I've been teaching high school for 4 years and need > some help. I feel like I've hit a plateau. When I came to > high school I went with what "they" did and that was using > the literature text. The problem is our test scores are > dropping and the students are disengaged. So, here's my > question... > > If you had 90 minutes and 90 days to teach English, how > would you set up your classroom? > > What are some novels you use for 9th grade and American > literature? > > THanks!

Sep 1, 2011

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