Reaching low students
Next year, I'm going to be teaching a high school English I/II class - combined together, double/block all year, to students who are sophomores emerging from a full year of intense reading intervention. Some are at a second or third grade reading level. Some are at a seventh grade level. All are special education. There will be 17 in the class. I ( Read more... )
I assume even though it's Common Core etc that you can only teach to the individual's ability...
I'd look to a fairly structured class time, with the variety and flexibility be in the activity in that time. So for example maybe you collectively read a piece (or break in to small groups and read different pieces) and then collectively share ideas about what that piece means (this means that the students with lower reading skills have the ability to hear the piece still, and have input without their reading skills being a major disadvantage, it also means students with different view of the world - eg autism - can hear and share different ideas) then move to a semi structured writing time (so they can choose between a range of activities and are assessed if necessary against *their own ability* not against the class average) and then move to some personal project time. Set the project for the whole of term and they work to some form of agreed stretch goal (that is individual to them) - it might be that they read and understand Harry Potter and write some fanfic, it might be that they write three poems of different styles and use this time to read other styles and learn about poetry...
It means you won't be able to grade a single kid in class against another, have a single standardised test.... but does that really matter? If you are marking an agreed number of pieces from each student, with an understanding of the base line and the expectations of each kid and marking on their growth and effort - that's got to be loads more valuable than trying to cram them all into identical boxes and expecting them to grow.
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