In 7th grade Honors English we are currently reading classic short stories and then are going to write a literary analysis on one of the stories. Students are asked to pick quotations that showcase the devices we are discussing in class and then explain how that device helps achieve the author's purpose.
This is a challenge for my students because they are reading challenging texts and then are asked to not just label the device, but explain why the author is using the device. I handed back their first individual journal yesterday and some students had low scores because they were not putting in their full effort or they did not think deeply about the story. I have modeled these processes in class and had them work in partners to complete the acitivities, but I think it is sometimes hard to get my students who are used to simply excelling at English to slow down and think about the activity. I am going to conference with my students today during class, but some of the students I talked to yesterday were quite offended that they had not scored well. Almost as if it was my fault it did not come easily to them.
I guess my question or concern this week is how to prod students who normally do well to take on challenging work. I don't want them to be stressed out (which some honors students can be) so that they overthink everything, but I need them to take the assignments seriously enough that they are purposeful in their writing. I hope that as I continue to model and practice these strategies with them it will get better. If anyone has great ideas for working with HP students, I'd definitely love to hear them.
This is a tough situation Connie because you have students who are used to school coming easy to them. However, this will not the be the last time they are being challenged. I would take this opportunity to explore with them why this is so challenging and see if they can identify the barriers. By teaching them this process of identifying and overcoming barriers perhaps the next time, they will be more apt to take care of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI agree. This is an opportunity for a great life lesson, at some point in our lives we have to learn how to deal with something challenging. Also, I think part of what is expected in an honors class is to be challenged, otherwise are students really growing and learning if they can just breeze by everything? I also think honors students sometimes get stuck on what their grade is, instead of the learning process itself. They don't necessarily look at a low score as an opportunity to improve. But it sounds like you are providing lots of support for the students (modeling, conferring, working with partners, etc.) and because it is still early in the school year, I am sure it will get easier for them as time goes on. I also have students in my regular classes that complain that assignments are hard, which makes me think that they don't realize how much potential they have if they put some time and effort into something challenging and really pushed themselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. I teach Honors 8th grade history and we just completed our Civil War unit where students had to write seven journal entries from the perspective of a soldier and indclude character responses and historical details. Students really struggle with this at the beginning and scores reflect that (5, 6, 7 out of 10). For many honors students, like mentioned earlier, this is a real shock. However, students have the opportunity to revise the journal entries several times to make them better (and consequently improve their grade). While it is sometimes overwhelming for me, in terms of grading, it really makes them see the value in the process of writing and not just the first grade you see on your assignment.
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