JOURNAL TOPIC:
Today you can choose your own, but with a caveat: write about something having to do with either the Shakespeare memorization or your current LA book. You can focus on the text itself or your experience of reading/working with it.
AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Thinker's choice: memorization work or LA reading/writing
HW:
1. The song remains the same this week; remember, memorization is due Monday 3.19
HI Dr. Preston,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emily Kim and I was at your presentation at CUE12. Just curious about the songs and how you use them in class? What are you asking students to do with the songs during journals and hw? Thanks!
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteGlad you posted this question here--hey everyone, Emily teaches at a high school in Alameda and is getting ideas for her students, so feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Here's my two cents: the music is a conversation starter and a way to ease into each class period. I play about 10 mins. at the beginning of class when students are writing in their journals. Students have contributed their own tunes and suggestions, which I incorporate when I can, and I also choose songs with literary elements-- themes, narrative structures, etc.-- that link to the current text/discussion.
(English teacher moment) Hmm, just re-read my comment and realized I should've written "my two cents' worth." #lifeisaroughdraft
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm over-analyzing it, but were you making a Led Zeppelin reference in the h.w. Dr. Preston?
ReplyDeleteguilty
ReplyDelete...but I didn't think about it, really, because that phrase is so familiar that I've used it as a cliche for decades. So after seeing your comment I did a quick search on the origin of the phrase. I didn't (look too hard or) find anything pre-dating Led Zeppelin, but I did find this article, which makes it clear that remixes and mash-ups (and plagiarism and the art of the rip-off) were around a long, long time before hip hop or the Internet: http://bit.ly/yoblqP
ReplyDeleteThey're probably my favorite band which is why that was the one phrase that jumped out at me as I scanned the blog. Amazing how one song title can become such a popular phrase...
ReplyDelete