Yesterday I used a LCD projector and laptop to show the students how to use a website to evaluate their research sources. I gave a short talk on plagiarism and how fucked up it was and the serious consequences of it. I don't want to repeat the crap that I had happen last year. But I somewhat get the feeling that it will happen again. Then after that I showed them the citation machine to show them how to go about making a bibliography and cite sources. This is a great website that does the formatting for you in MLA or APA style. God bless the internet!!! This took about little more than half the classtime.
I've taken to writing my agenda on the board. This is a good and simple pedagogical tool that students like. It lets them know what is going on and to know there is an end at some point to whatever we are doing. I must pay more attention to small details like this that improve the overall management of the class.
When working with kids, patience really is a virtue.
After the web stuff in my 1st period class we read the WB Yeats poem "The Second Coming". This is the poem that Chinua Achebe based the title of his book "Things Fall Apart" on. Brilliant title really cause the story is about Christianity destroying African culture. I gave out points for people interpreting lines. Really chilling apocalyptic poem. Then at the end of class I had an auction of keychains, magnets, rulers, and the ultimate... the homework pass. Nothing better than the homework pass.
In my 2nd period class, we began the book "Disposable People" about modern day slavery. I read a few sections from the intro just to get them acquainted. As I was reading I would glance up at the faces of some of the students. They were riveted to it. Then I broke students up into groups and had them choose chapters to read so they could jigsaw the reading. I gave them 2 weeks to read the chapters they chose amongst themselves. At the end I had an auction for them and they were all into it too.
In my 3rd period class, after the presentation I played Japanese rap music for them and made them laugh by doing the harlem shake. I also talked a bit about how much of the young world loves hip hop style. You can find b-boys almost everywhere in this world. And it's the African-American cultural responses to suffering that everyone likes. Blues, jazz, and rap. Then after that I started to talk to them about yoga and the causes of suffering in hinduism. I didn't get to do the auction for this class, but it's good cause I had a student buying points from other students and I'm going to make her return them.
Finally, I bought my CTM pizza. I've been hard on them and I chewed them out recently so I wanted to do something nice for them and not have them feel like it's always work. Shit was expensive but good. Kids had never tried a pesto pizza before and they were surprised to be into it.
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