assignment #1

1. What content area are you teaching? Why are you teaching this subject?

I teach social studies (World History, World Geography, and DC History). I majored in Government in undergrad. Plus, I think social studies opens up the doors to discuss critical issues that are relevant to content and to students' lives.

2. What have you noticed about the students you are teaching this year? Do they have particular problems with reading or writing? What are their strengths?

Vocabulary is one particular obstacle. Also, very little original synthesis of content is evidenced in their writing, and they copy too much stuff verbatim. I believe they can be more committed to their work if given a great deal of structure. When given some writing prompts directed at their personal experiences, they are generally eager to write and discuss their reflections.

3. What do you most want to learn in this course?

I assigned a couple of essays this past semester but had only about a quarter or less of my students turned them in. While there are probably a dozen reasons why this is so, I want to be sure that I did everything I could to walk them through the process. Also, I'd like to know how to be more effective in teaching vocab.