Eddie (Ray) Hirschman-Compare/Contrast Demo Presentation

[Ray Hirschman]

Hey!
I'm really looking forward to this summer.

Our classroom (Because it's not MINE) is set up for success (I hope...). I am a pod (Or group) person and love the dynamic that occurs organically when students interact with each other on projects and assignments. The room is filled with student work, consistent procedures, and lots, and lots of organized chaos. : ) My hope has been to create a safe but challenging space for everyone-no negativity or derogatory comments allowed.

On to my demo plan. This semester, we worked a great deal on Romeo & Juliet, and all the freshmen teachers at Reed focused--in one way or another--on the skill set of comparing and contrasting various characters, relationships, themes, etc. I will be focusing on this for my presentation with emphasis on voice and idea development. I will be using music (iPod) to help evaluate the importance of voice when telling a story. I will also be using various graphic organizers and a summary from Romeo & Juliet. There will be pre-writing, brainstorming, drafting, and publishing; the final product will be a Poem for Opposing Voices from Barry Lane's Wacky We-Search. The poem will chronicle Romeo and Juliet's love affair from Act I-III.

I look forward to hanging with you all soon. Have a peaceful and fun, fun, fun end of the year.

Eddie

[Jacob Charlebois]

Eddie--

The Barry Lane approach is the way to go. While I've only used a few of his suggestions and formats, they've all been met with enthusiasm and buy-in from my students. Last year, I had my sophomores analyzing Epicureanism and Stoicism and how Brutus and Cassius from Julius Caesar adhere to the tenets of these beliefs. To show what they knew, I had them write a narrative "tour-guide monologue" inspired by Lane's format in which they explained where all things Epicurean/stoic could be found in the play. It turned what could have been a fairly bland essay into something the kids ran with...

See you in a few weeks! Jacob

[Amy Webber]

I do not know the Barry Lane approach, so I look forward to your presentation. I love having students write and think in terms of compare and contrast, and a poem for opposing voices sounds very interesting. I hope you got some great poetry out of your kids because I would love to read what they wrote.

Great demo ideas! :)
Amy

[Temoca Dixon]

Hi Ray,

I admire your effort to create that safe but challenging environment for kids. We haven't really discussed this point, but it seems we are on the page that kids will take those risks to work above and beyond average if they feel supported and safe.

I think looking at Romeo and Juliet with new skills and eyes is great. I tried to introduce my students to Shakespeare this year and I think I was close to having mutiny erupt in my class! I'm very interested in a new and less painful way to get kids involved in Shakespeare and possibly other classics. Besides I would like to keep my head from rolling a little while longer.

I love the incorporation of all the writing fix ideas, music, Wacky-We Search, and Compare and Contrast. I look forward to stealing some great ideas from you for my classroom.

See you soon,

Temoca