Post by Ayesha McMillan on Jun 3, 2010 5:52:27 GMT -5
(The information below is provided to give you some idea of what your student characters might have to face during their English lessons. This is also something students will not be told in advance. Most of this curriculum - including the 'learning by teaching' part - will only be revealed to students one step at a time.
That aside, feel free to draw inspiration from this for whatever post you might like to write that mentiones classwork.
That's the main reason I am posting this.)
The main focus of the class will be Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge Of Courage". (OOC: The full novel can be found online here or here, if you are truly interested in reading it.) It's the tale of a single soldier - and a single battle - in the American Civil War. It's also a story about cowardice, bravery, and the pressure superiors, peers, and oneself can exert on someone.
Class will start with an introduction to the book, then students will be given some time to actually read it.
As the next step there will be a discussion about the first chapter of the novel, but also touching on some subjects from later chapters, so the teacher can judge if you actually bothered to read the book.
After that, students will be introduced to the main part of the course - which is 'learning by teaching'. Depending on class size you will each be given a single subject to deal with, or be assigned to a small group of two or three students dealing with a certain subject or chapter of the book, and a list of specific questions to answer that build on each other.
Background material will be provided, together with some advice on further research. The topics here can range from the historical context of the novel to the personality of the protagonist, or how this novel differs from previous treatments of the Civil War.
The next two or three lessons will have the teacher help you through the questions you have to deal with, assisting you in discovering ways to find and present your own answers to the class and preparing for the latter.
After that, students will present the questions they have dealt with - and their answers - to the class in a group setting, with the teacher acting as a moderator and mediator. Students should be prepared to answer follow-up questions from their peers, and explain their point of view.
As this will not cover all the required classes - especially while you are given time to read the book - we will also fill some time with more basic lessons on reading, writing, and the structure and history of the English language. Even if that is not the main focus of this class, paying attention to it might actually help you with the major parts of this course.
That aside, feel free to draw inspiration from this for whatever post you might like to write that mentiones classwork.
That's the main reason I am posting this.)The main focus of the class will be Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge Of Courage". (OOC: The full novel can be found online here or here, if you are truly interested in reading it.) It's the tale of a single soldier - and a single battle - in the American Civil War. It's also a story about cowardice, bravery, and the pressure superiors, peers, and oneself can exert on someone.
Class will start with an introduction to the book, then students will be given some time to actually read it.
As the next step there will be a discussion about the first chapter of the novel, but also touching on some subjects from later chapters, so the teacher can judge if you actually bothered to read the book.
After that, students will be introduced to the main part of the course - which is 'learning by teaching'. Depending on class size you will each be given a single subject to deal with, or be assigned to a small group of two or three students dealing with a certain subject or chapter of the book, and a list of specific questions to answer that build on each other.
Background material will be provided, together with some advice on further research. The topics here can range from the historical context of the novel to the personality of the protagonist, or how this novel differs from previous treatments of the Civil War.
The next two or three lessons will have the teacher help you through the questions you have to deal with, assisting you in discovering ways to find and present your own answers to the class and preparing for the latter.
After that, students will present the questions they have dealt with - and their answers - to the class in a group setting, with the teacher acting as a moderator and mediator. Students should be prepared to answer follow-up questions from their peers, and explain their point of view.
As this will not cover all the required classes - especially while you are given time to read the book - we will also fill some time with more basic lessons on reading, writing, and the structure and history of the English language. Even if that is not the main focus of this class, paying attention to it might actually help you with the major parts of this course.
