Here are your assignments for the next two classes. This gets us through Chapter 5! You will notice there is a format change because of the adjustment I have made in the class. I have divided the assignments between the Tuesday class (which are for everyone) and the Honors/AP Prep portion of the class which meets separately.
Chapter 5 Assignments
If you prefer using Google Documents the document is HERE.
You should still prepare for your reading and study in the same way as before - just not all of you will be doing the opportunity questions:
#1 Read over the chapter summary and flip through the chapter looking at what sections it is divided into.
#2 Read over and or listen to the summary available on the Online Roadmap
#3 Read with a pencil in hand to mark as you go (index card for vocab)
#4 Look over the topics we will discuss in class and take note of them even during your first reading
#5 Do the first reading - reading for understanding (some of you are using the audio for this reading, just remember to pause it). Make sure to break your reading into 'bytes', do some form of narration/retelling, and take breaks. You should be able to complete the reading in two days - don't scream through it all at once!
#6 Build your timeline and lists of important people (make sure you note something about them) in your notebooks
#7 Work through the content using the class topics and opportunity questions. Go back to sections you marked that you didn't understand and look for help if needed. Make sure that you can talk/write about each of these topics/questions.
For the Honors/AP Prep class I'm giving you all the opportunity questions at once - use both weeks to go through them. Our first week's opportunity will be the one on Washington and sectionalism. The second weeks opportunity is your choice - you choose which of the remaining questions you want to answer. Spend more time on that question, but do try and spend some time with each of them!
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tips for Using Online Roadmap to Last Best Hope
Some of you are asking questions about how the Online Roadmap works. The Homepage for the Roadmap is HERE. (For your convenience I have also placed a link on the sidebar of the blog.) I have suggested that you should listen to the online summaries of the chapters before beginning your reading and some of you also want to know how to read and listen to your book online. I hope the following instructions are helpful:
#1 Make sure you are logged in - this is located on the left menu of the Homepage (you have to scroll down). If you are not logged in you can only see sample materials!!
#2 You have all purchased the premium version of the site. To access that information you have to scroll down and click the red square that says Premium Access.
#3 Click the button that says Premium Media (you may or may not have to select Volume I).
#4 From here you can read the text book online or listen to the audio version of the text. There are some other links on this page - the most useful one for you may be the mnemonics. If you don't know what mnemonics are or how to use them you can watch a short video explanation HERE.
#5 Unfortunately to access the regular materials and chapter resources you have to go back to the basic site. On the top menu click 'Back to Basic Site'.
#6 Click Volume I and select your chapter. Click 'Chapter Media'. Here you can listen to the chapter summary and also listen to an mp3 which gives extra information or things to think about further once you've finished reading the chapter.
#7 There are many other tools that you can use and explore under each chapter such as graphics, maps, timeline, key people and events, government, vocabulary and everything. Don't spend too much time here or rely on this information too much, though. The most important thing you can do is your reading - your ACTIVE reading.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR MIND WORKING ON AND THROUGH THE MATERIAL!!
#1 Make sure you are logged in - this is located on the left menu of the Homepage (you have to scroll down). If you are not logged in you can only see sample materials!!
#2 You have all purchased the premium version of the site. To access that information you have to scroll down and click the red square that says Premium Access.
#3 Click the button that says Premium Media (you may or may not have to select Volume I).
#4 From here you can read the text book online or listen to the audio version of the text. There are some other links on this page - the most useful one for you may be the mnemonics. If you don't know what mnemonics are or how to use them you can watch a short video explanation HERE.
#5 Unfortunately to access the regular materials and chapter resources you have to go back to the basic site. On the top menu click 'Back to Basic Site'.
#6 Click Volume I and select your chapter. Click 'Chapter Media'. Here you can listen to the chapter summary and also listen to an mp3 which gives extra information or things to think about further once you've finished reading the chapter.
#7 There are many other tools that you can use and explore under each chapter such as graphics, maps, timeline, key people and events, government, vocabulary and everything. Don't spend too much time here or rely on this information too much, though. The most important thing you can do is your reading - your ACTIVE reading.
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR MIND WORKING ON AND THROUGH THE MATERIAL!!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Key Factors for Change in Colonists Attitude toward Britain and the King
Franklin before Privy Council in London
Be Active Readers -- remember I encourage you to spend 3 hours this week inside your text!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Opportunities 1 & 2
This post is to show you what my expectations were for the last two opportunities that you have taken and encourage you to dig in for the upcoming 3rd. I thought my map might amuse you - I did not practice drawing the map as I asked you guys to do - you can tell I really don't know what Central America, South America and Canada look like - I just have a vague concept from memory. Some indian tribes and explorers I confuse and am unsure about without looking - still!
Opportunity 1
For the last opportunity I gave you a list of possible questions - and gave you a hint to be prepared to answer not just the easy ones. (That meant be prepared to answer the harder ones!) As you can see below all of the information to answer this question was in the text - I've provided page numbers for your convenience. You will notice however that all of the information is not on the same page - it's not a simple look at the question, find that part of the text and copy down the answer. You will not have any (very few at least) questions like that in the next two years.
That's why its' VERY, VERY important that you begin to learn to read in a different way. I know that it is possible for every one of you to read this weeks Bennett homework in one hour or less. Very few of you (maybe none - I certainly can't) can read it once in an hour or less and be able to retain the information and answer the questions (which requires you to grasp the ideas and think about what you've read). That's why I'm asking you to do different levels of reading. I expect you to spend at least 3 hours each week - reading slowly for understanding/misunderstanding, scan reading for information (timeline/important people), and a deeper reading of portions of the text working through your questions.
Please read your text slowly - break it into small bites/bytes. After each one stop and see if you can repeat to yourself what you just read. Then move onto the next chunk taking breaks every 25 minutes. This is how you read the text the first time. That 'repeating to yourself' has a special name - 'narrating'. In order for you to learn something your brain actually goes through a physical change. You can retain information for a short period without your brain making the effort to 'change', but then it falls out like sand in a sieve! When you narrate (a form of paraphrasing) your brain must act on what you've read. That acting causes a physical change in your brain which causes you to LEARN not just retain. You then own it - you've made it yours!
This is ACTIVE reading not PASSIVE reading.
PLEASE DON'T BE A PASSIVE READER!
Opportunity 2
Opportunity 1
For the last opportunity I gave you a list of possible questions - and gave you a hint to be prepared to answer not just the easy ones. (That meant be prepared to answer the harder ones!) As you can see below all of the information to answer this question was in the text - I've provided page numbers for your convenience. You will notice however that all of the information is not on the same page - it's not a simple look at the question, find that part of the text and copy down the answer. You will not have any (very few at least) questions like that in the next two years.
That's why its' VERY, VERY important that you begin to learn to read in a different way. I know that it is possible for every one of you to read this weeks Bennett homework in one hour or less. Very few of you (maybe none - I certainly can't) can read it once in an hour or less and be able to retain the information and answer the questions (which requires you to grasp the ideas and think about what you've read). That's why I'm asking you to do different levels of reading. I expect you to spend at least 3 hours each week - reading slowly for understanding/misunderstanding, scan reading for information (timeline/important people), and a deeper reading of portions of the text working through your questions.
Please read your text slowly - break it into small bites/bytes. After each one stop and see if you can repeat to yourself what you just read. Then move onto the next chunk taking breaks every 25 minutes. This is how you read the text the first time. That 'repeating to yourself' has a special name - 'narrating'. In order for you to learn something your brain actually goes through a physical change. You can retain information for a short period without your brain making the effort to 'change', but then it falls out like sand in a sieve! When you narrate (a form of paraphrasing) your brain must act on what you've read. That acting causes a physical change in your brain which causes you to LEARN not just retain. You then own it - you've made it yours!
This is ACTIVE reading not PASSIVE reading.
PLEASE DON'T BE A PASSIVE READER!
Opportunity 2
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Reading Time
I am really very interested to know how long it is taking you to read your textbook - a careful reading as described in previous posts and handouts. (This week it's approximately 13pp of reading.) So make a note of your time (the back of the index card that you are using for vocab is probably a good place) and visit this blog post at the end of the week. Leave a comment letting me know the total time. If you can't figure out how to comment, send me an email!
Friday, August 26, 2011
A Suggested Schedule to Guide You
I thought that some of you might benefit from a suggested schedule to guide your weekly work and study:
(Begin each reading session by looking over the list of questions given for your reading before you begin.)
Tuesday after co-op:
Spend at least 30 min. reading the assigned text reading (you may want to listen or look at the summary of the chapter from the Roadmap first)
Wednesday:
Spend about 1.5 hours of text reading on Wednesday
Remember to break your reading into 25 min. chunks and to break those chunks into bites/bytes and to read for understanding checking your own understanding before moving on. This is especially important for those of you who are using the audio version - don't go through 25 minutes of text non-stop without narrating/telling back to yourself what you have read. If it's helpful spend 2-3 minutes looking over How To Read Your Text until you get the habit!
Thursday:
Finish any remaining text reading (most of you will be through or nearly through)
Read your PSH assignment (there are not normally two in one week!)
Read Penny Candy
Think about upcoming Projects and work on any other assignments
Friday:
Set aside about 1-1.5 hours to compile your timeline, list of important people, record your vocabulary in your notebook and record any Current Events.
(You were remembering your index card while you read this week weren't you?) This will be much easier if you have put a box/circle around dates and underlined names of new/important people as you read.
Monday:
Spend about one hour to make sure that you can answer the questions from your handout (these are possible opportunity questions). Try actually writing out an answer for one or two of them (don't pick the easy ones). Call someone if you aren't sure how to answer on or to check your answer against someone elses.
(Begin each reading session by looking over the list of questions given for your reading before you begin.)
Tuesday after co-op:
Spend at least 30 min. reading the assigned text reading (you may want to listen or look at the summary of the chapter from the Roadmap first)
Wednesday:
Spend about 1.5 hours of text reading on Wednesday
Remember to break your reading into 25 min. chunks and to break those chunks into bites/bytes and to read for understanding checking your own understanding before moving on. This is especially important for those of you who are using the audio version - don't go through 25 minutes of text non-stop without narrating/telling back to yourself what you have read. If it's helpful spend 2-3 minutes looking over How To Read Your Text until you get the habit!
Thursday:
Finish any remaining text reading (most of you will be through or nearly through)
Read your PSH assignment (there are not normally two in one week!)
Read Penny Candy
Think about upcoming Projects and work on any other assignments
Friday:
Set aside about 1-1.5 hours to compile your timeline, list of important people, record your vocabulary in your notebook and record any Current Events.
(You were remembering your index card while you read this week weren't you?) This will be much easier if you have put a box/circle around dates and underlined names of new/important people as you read.
Monday:
Spend about one hour to make sure that you can answer the questions from your handout (these are possible opportunity questions). Try actually writing out an answer for one or two of them (don't pick the easy ones). Call someone if you aren't sure how to answer on or to check your answer against someone elses.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Analytical Reading
I just put the finishing touches on a Guide to Reading for this class that I will be handing out on Tuesday. The guide is based on two books How To Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler and How To Read Slowly by James W. Sire. I greatly simplified their writing and used only parts that are most applicable to my class. I just wanted to say that these two books are great books to add to your students reading lists begining in 10th or 11th grade or so. If some of you are interested in a more detailed guide than mine without acutally reading the books I found a great one on Justin Taylor's blog here.
I also came across a DVD of some videos that Mortimer J. Adler recorded for Encyclopedia Britannica that look excellent. I think our students would grasp some of the main ideas and get inspiration to do the work of ACTIVE reading from these videos since they aren't quite ready yet to wade through his book. How To Read A Book is a challenging book to read! Have your students watch the sample video.
Happy reading!
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