This year, I have completely revamped my Reading Elective. Last year was the first year for the elective at our school, and for me, so it was a learning year for everyone. I have gone to a ton of trainings the past two years to help me bring a great experience to my students. I am using technology and many different types of media. We have weekly quick writes, idioms, vocabulary, quotes, and other skills that all students need to learn in a fun and different way.
One of the new things I have tried this year is a theory made popular by Dave Burgess (http://daveburgess.com). His book “Teach Like A Pirate” explains to teachers that they need to have more passion and show that passion in the classroom. We are reading the novel “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and each week I am introducing a new character from the story. To introduce these characters I am dressing up as the character and talking to the kids as that character. The first week I was Percy Jackson and I read the story just like him. Every day the students would come in they asked me “Mrs. Price, can you read the story like Percy Jackson again.” That is when I know they are really enjoying that I am trying something new in the classroom. The second week I was Mr. Brunner, aka Chiron, complete with a “wheel chair” and goatee. The students are looking forward to the other characters I will be playing. I can’t wait to show them that reading can really come alive.
At first, I was afraid of how the students would handle it. We all know middle school students are tough critics but they have responded so well. This is not the only new thing I will be trying this year and I am hopeful that they respond to the other new experiments as well as they have responded to my “Teach Like A Pirate” experiment. Now I am on to Genius Hour and other new endeavors.
All I can hope is that I keep this passion alive for my entire teaching career.
Amanda Price
Reading
One of the new things I have tried this year is a theory made popular by Dave Burgess (http://daveburgess.com). His book “Teach Like A Pirate” explains to teachers that they need to have more passion and show that passion in the classroom. We are reading the novel “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and each week I am introducing a new character from the story. To introduce these characters I am dressing up as the character and talking to the kids as that character. The first week I was Percy Jackson and I read the story just like him. Every day the students would come in they asked me “Mrs. Price, can you read the story like Percy Jackson again.” That is when I know they are really enjoying that I am trying something new in the classroom. The second week I was Mr. Brunner, aka Chiron, complete with a “wheel chair” and goatee. The students are looking forward to the other characters I will be playing. I can’t wait to show them that reading can really come alive.
At first, I was afraid of how the students would handle it. We all know middle school students are tough critics but they have responded so well. This is not the only new thing I will be trying this year and I am hopeful that they respond to the other new experiments as well as they have responded to my “Teach Like A Pirate” experiment. Now I am on to Genius Hour and other new endeavors.
All I can hope is that I keep this passion alive for my entire teaching career.
Amanda Price
Reading