Response to “Pirates in Historical Fiction and Nonfiction: A Twin-Text Unit of Study”

***Note: I love the word “piratical.”

There were two main things about this lesson that really stood out for me:

1) The KWL (what i KNOW — what i WANT to know — what i LEARNED).  I think this is an awesome idea and if it’s a common knowledge thing for teachers today, then I’m glad I caught up with the curve.  I think this could be a great tool to use throughout the year.  The “what i KNOW” part can be great because it gives the teacher an idea of a starting point and perhaps a road map for driving the lesson.  For this lesson for example, if a lot of your class has been to the Gulf of Mexico, you can use that when teaching.  For a math lesson, if you ask your students, “What do you already know?” you may be able to be more efficient in your lesson.  This could also be a good tool for substitute teachers.  You could tell them to look at a couple of students KWL to get an idea of where the class is.  “what i WANT to know” gives the students an opportunity to contribute to the curriculum.  This could help them stay interested if you make sure to answer the questions they have in the lesson.  Again, this would be useful in any lesson subject.  Finally, the “what i LEARNED” is a chance for teachers to evaluate what the students have gotten from the lesson.  Tests are of course necessary, but this gives students a chance to express what they learned in their own words.  If necessary, the teacher could provide some prompting questions to get the students on the right track.  Again, I like the whole idea of KWL for any subject and/or lesson because ultimately I think it can make the students feel more involved in the lesson.

2) I also like the Double-Entry Diary (DED) as a tool for other lessons and/or subjects.  I think taking notes is a skill that we should teach students.  Speaking from my own experience in school, I think there should be more emphasis put on how to take notes and how to study.  Making two columns with quotes, vocab, formulas (for math and/or science), etc. on one side and a reaction, definition, and/or response on the other is a great way to organize notes and possibly a great way to study.  Students could cover one half of their notes, practice explaining on column, and then check their response; similar to flash cards.

I think the most interesting parts from this lesson were the KWL and DED because of their ability to be used across different lessons and subjects.