Pages 120-162

I love the different organizers. I believe that with different organizers will help all of the students. Each student is different and having different ideas to hlep them organize their information will let the students figure out what works best for them. We can make it easier for our students to learn and each of them need to learn as much as they can. The Evaluation Checklist helps students to check themselves and also let the teacher check how they are doing in their interactions. The know-understand-do framework is great for looking at and breaking down subjects. Learning menus as mentioned in the book states that the students can focus on what they need to learn but gives them options in the learning process. I liked the Novel Think-Tac-Toe. I think it could be used many ways to get students to think about a book. I think that it can also give students a new perspective on the details in the book. RAFT again is another way that students can look at different topics and get more information. Tiering is essential to help students. We make the materials work for the students levels instead of trying to push them up too fast. The rubrics are a great place to start when you are looking at grading your students. I loved all the ideas that were in the book. There are so many ways that you can use them and different topics you could use them for. All of the ideas are at least a great place for teachers to start.

Chapter 7

I loved the title of this chapter, The Simple, Hard Truth About Teaching. It explains teaching. I whole heatedly agree with the idea of this chapter.It is a summary for the most part but is vital and informative for those who don't understand teaching and how hard it can be. I know my students will all be different and they will all learn in different ways. I know that I will not always be able to teach every last one of my students. I do know that I will have to get to know my students and care about them individually in order to create the best environment for learning. I know that I will have to vary my instruction techniques. I know there is no easy answer when it comes to teaching students. I will have my good days and my bad days just like my students. I love the end of the chapter when it talks about how we have to be like the mother that made the gravy for her son. We have to love it and put our whole hearts into it. Anything less and we will fail, we will lose the reason of why we started teaching in the first place. I loved the analogy about how we learn to ride a bike, that we don't study the bike and how it works. We get on the bike and when we fall we get back up. Teaching is the same way, yes the classes we have taken give us ideas and theories but as the teacher I have to get to know my students and find what is best for them. Teaching is not easy but I know it is one of the most important jobs a person can ever do.