Integrated Unit Reflection

Since I did not teach my original integrated unit, I did not work with my original partner on this unit. I did work with another teacher who uses the novel I used because I'd never taught it before this year. I also used our school-based advocate from SAVES, which is an organization that helps prevent sexual assault. This woman came to our class as a guest speaker and worked with me to help present the graphic materials in this book in a fashion that would help teens to express their feelings.

I could not use the first unit I created because we had no access to laptops until late November. Therefore, I had only my laptop with which to help students create their type 2 technology products. So, we created a group imovie. I had no colleague that I could work with directly in this process, because my original colleague teaches material completely unrelated to this topic. I felt good about working with a community person and bringing her into the fold as a resource for students and myself. I also felt good about collaborating with a colleague who has taught this novel for several years. His help was important in my anticipation of student issues and misunderstandings.

Next year, I hope to teach the original unit that I planned to teach this year. I hope that my original colleague is still able to help with this unit when I can finally teach it!

How Does a New Word Get in the Dictionary?

Here's a link to an article about some new words that have been entered into the new Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Links to Articles

Here is a link to an article that explains the benefits of using technology with gifted students. The article explains the connection between higher-order critical thinking skills and the literacy skills of gifted Digital Natives.

Standing Silent Nation

Standing Silent Nation: link to clips, commentary, and teaching resources.

16 and Pregnant, Episode One

MTV's 16 and Pregnant - MTV Shows

Here's a poem by Sherman Alexie, the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It was emailed to me from the poets.org site as part of National Poetry Month.

Dangerous Astronomy
by Sherman Alexie

I wanted to walk outside and praise the stars,
But David, my baby son, coughed and coughed.
His comfort was more important than the stars

So I comforted and kissed him in his dark
Bedroom, but my comfort was not enough.
His mother was more important than the stars

So he cried for her breast and milk. It's hard
For fathers to compete with mothers' love.
In the dark, mothers illuminate like the stars!

Dull and jealous, I was the smallest part
Of the whole. I know this is stupid stuff
But I felt less important than the farthest star

As my wife fed my son in the hungry dark.
How can a father resent his son and his son's love?
Was my comfort more important than the stars?

A selfish father, I wanted to pull apart
My comfortable wife and son. Forgive me, Rough
God, because I walked outside and praised the stars,
And thought I was more important than the stars.

The We Shall Remain series will be a great resource for the course we're teaching next year. It's awesome that PBS has posted the complete series in full on their website. This will be an easy-to-use resource for us when we want to show clips or entire segments from this series.