[etni] Re: Fwd: Renee's letter
- From: Bari Nirenberg <bnirenberg@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "etni.list@xxxxxxxxx" <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2014 22:03:26 +0200
Since we are sharing experiences related to the literature program, I would
like to share my own. I have always enjoyed teaching literature and it is,
of course, no surprise to anyone that I am in favor of the literature
program. However, what I would like to share is the reaction of my
students, not my own personal opinion.
I did a log with one class and then switched to the exam. My first class to
take the exam was a class of gifted 11th graders, 5 pointers, but not
English speakers apart from one or two students. They took module G at the
same time and completed their English studies in 11th grade.
Let me start from the end. The class average on module F was 89 and on G it
was 88. My students were clearly prepared for both modules despite missing
school due to missile attacks, including over a week of school during
Operation Cast Lead and despite having only four real hours of English in
11th grade.
My students had nothing but praise for the literature program. They looked
forward to literature lessons and participated enthusiastically. At the end
of 11th grade, one of my students wrote a letter to Judy Steiner telling
her how much she had enjoyed the program and how learning literature in
English had contributed to her life and changed the way she thought.
Another student, during practice for the oral exam, said that his favorite
subject was literature in English. He told me that he saw himself in George
Stoyonovich and that A Summer's Reading had changed the way he looked at
his own life. When I meet my students in the schoolyard, they tell me how
much they miss English lessons and especially literature lessons. They
actually asked me to come teach them another poem or story "just for fun"
(though I must emphasize that not a single one of them ever complained
about doing this for a grade).
This year's 11th graders feel the same way and I believe the same is true
of my 10th graders, who have particularly enjoyed learning HOTS and seeing
how applying different HOTS can lead to different interpretations of a
story.
In short, if you believe in what you're doing and love it, generally, your
students will feel the same way. I understand that there may be different
issues and difficulties with 4 pointers, but throughout this thread,
teachers have been referring to good 5 pointers, which is why I chose to do
the same.
Bari Nirenberg
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