Fall Conference Connections
My favorite connections from the fall conference came from my time with the other LA teachers in the program. We had some great discussions (in fact, more in depth discussions than what happens at vertical teaming in my own district!)
We discussed two things I was drawn to the most: Conversation Starter Placemats and Diverse Literature.
First, we discussed an idea called Conversation Starter Placemats. It's a simple, but effective, concept where you print placemat-sized organizers that include different ways for students to enter a conversation or classroom discussion. I really liked this idea, and thought that all of my students - from my EL learners to my AP students - to help them develop those soft skills.
I was happily surprised when I came back from the conference and brought it up with a friend from my department. She walked over to a table and pulled out a giant poster-sized version of the same idea. She was like "I just made this!" It was great. What a coincidence.
Next, I was drawn to the diverse literature we discussed as a small group. I teach a unit on Dakota Culture in my Honors LA 10 class, and we discussed a book written by a Dakota woman that I had never heard of. When I got back from my conference, I immediately emailed our Native American Studies Coordinator and asked if she had heard of it. She said she owns it but hasn't yet read it. I'm looking forward to continuing my collaboration with her and learn more about this novel I learned about at the fall conference.
We discussed two things I was drawn to the most: Conversation Starter Placemats and Diverse Literature.
First, we discussed an idea called Conversation Starter Placemats. It's a simple, but effective, concept where you print placemat-sized organizers that include different ways for students to enter a conversation or classroom discussion. I really liked this idea, and thought that all of my students - from my EL learners to my AP students - to help them develop those soft skills.
I was happily surprised when I came back from the conference and brought it up with a friend from my department. She walked over to a table and pulled out a giant poster-sized version of the same idea. She was like "I just made this!" It was great. What a coincidence.
Next, I was drawn to the diverse literature we discussed as a small group. I teach a unit on Dakota Culture in my Honors LA 10 class, and we discussed a book written by a Dakota woman that I had never heard of. When I got back from my conference, I immediately emailed our Native American Studies Coordinator and asked if she had heard of it. She said she owns it but hasn't yet read it. I'm looking forward to continuing my collaboration with her and learn more about this novel I learned about at the fall conference.
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