Lesson Design For Classic Literature

☂ In chapter 6 of Classics in the Classroom, I enjoyed reading about the different steps of lesson study.  The different steps reminds me of something we learned in Principles of Teaching.  First defining the problem in the class room will help make your classroom a better learning environment.  I like the example Jago uses in her book as stimulating student interest.  This appears to be a common problem. As teachers plan a lesson, they need to think of ways to address that problem.  Step five according to Jago is revisiting the lesson.  This is a great way to help the classroom. Being an effective teacher is seeing that a lesson isn't working and isn't stimulating student thought.  A teacher is a good teacher if they can switch the plan to help make students understand material better.  

☂ What I liked about this chapter was it provided ways to teach the material.  I like the note form she passes out.  It shows students what the lecture is about.  This allows students to write down comments and questions as the lecture progresses. Since the Odyssey is fairly long, the length and divisions Carol provides in chapter six are not only helpful for the Odyssey, but you can see how a longer novel can be divided.  

☂ She provides different comprehension tools that I find useful. Charts are a good way to identify a certain element in a story, and for the Odyssey, the greek gods in a chart is a useful tool for students. Maps are a great way to visually show students where a story takes place.  Looking back at the Great Gatsby from our class earlier this semester, the map of West Egg and East Egg would be a helpful tool when showing students where different characters live. Character charts are also very helpful.  This works with any story to show how characters relate, who identifies with who, and general information. I also like the quiz questions she provided at the end of the chapter.  This allows me as a future teacher to see the different levels of cognition being applied to quiz questions. Future teachers, and current teachers can develop questions based on these. All of the different handouts, quizzes, presentations, group projects can be useful with any novel. I really enjoyed chapter six.