We+Beat+the+Street

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freerice.com is a great website with vocabulary activities

One of the points in this book was that in some groups it is not cool to be smart and do well.

Surrounding yourselves with people who share the same goals strengthen chances for success. Mentors and role models are important. Teachers can make a difference.

This book was written for students; __The Pact__ is the adult version. How do we think students would react to this book?

Would students think that this is a book that doesn't pertain to them because it is about inner city students with a different culture? Would they come away realizing how people from different cultures can share similarities, like the ideas of identity and fitting in.

These students never thought of themselves as being college-bound. That resonates. It connects also with the book that was discussed, Scratch Beginnings: Is there still an American dream?

We considered the question of whether to have students react to the book or to set up a purpose for reading.

Even some students in high school may need a framework, while others may not. Differentiation!

How could this book be used in a classroom? It could be part of a class library for independent reading. It could be one of a choice of books to read and share around an Essential Question. It could be a whole class read for a specific purpose.

We liked the idea that this information is available in different formats. This allows for student choice.

Can material be loaded onto ipods? Do we have to say, "You're not ready for this book." This ties in with our conversation about vocabulary acquisition. Students can acquire vocabulary through their experiences in listening to books they aren't skill ready to read.

What about watching videos? How do we use the text and videos instructionally. Of Mice and Men has a great film component. You can analyze the movie relative to the book. Why would they leave a scene out of the movie that is in the book? Critical analysis...If this was such a powerful scene in the book, why would it be left out of the movie?

What is the objective? Is the objective to be able to read the material or to discuss the concepts? Love the ipods idea.

Where does the kindle begin to come in to play? How long will we continue to buy textbooks?

Rameck was an interesting character. He struggled so in school. His first reaction was always violent. The wrong decision was always the easy one to come to him. The teacher who understood where he was coming from made the difference.

George was the one of the group who saw the possibilities for their future and motivated his friends. George was the one whose teacher in grade 3 said that "college is cool."

Sam was the one who was wavering. These three boys were bright. We need to challenge students. If the work is relevant and connected for students, they can be motivated to work hard.

Can we answer the question of "why" if students ask: "Why do I need to know (do) this?"

What was cool about Sam was that he really didn't know if he wanted to be a doctor. He liked action. How it happened for him to become a doctor was really interesting and how it looped back to his experience in the emergency room as a young child.

Something common was that the adults took time to explain. Sam had broken bones and the doctor took the time to show him the xrays and talk about what they showed.

Service Learning is critical. Getting kids out into the community allows them to explore and come into contact with people they might otherwise not have experiences with.

The books that we are reading in these studies all seem to have a connection. Even the book that addresses nature-deficit disorder connects with the other books that have very different topics as their core. One book was about poverty, this is about culture, and yet they all have some connecting ideas.

What are our students' sense of community? We have Kerhonkson, Rosendale, and Marbletown. Then, Rondout Valley is the main campus. What is our community?

Neighborhood schools are valued. How could we build a sense of community through our configuration/experiences?

If you were to be asked about this book by a colleague, what would you (want them to know) say?: I would recommend this book to a friend getting a degree in educational psychology. Being able to facilitate activities in schools that build community is important. Building relationships is what got these three students through. How can be build relationships in schools? I like the advice that is given to the kids in the book about changing our views of ourselves and that they can achieve more than they think that they are capable of. The big message in here is the importance of positive peer pressure. If they can impress one person, they can affect other members of their groups. We always have to look at the outside influences of what is affecting our students. They don't come into us as a clean slate. Similar to Scratch Beginnings, goal setting was key. These boys set goals and stuck to them. They also had a common goal. In Scratch Beginnings, the character had set goals and didn't waver from them.

Two people als read Reaching Out. The character also set goals, but they were short term goals, one year at a time. People made a difference in his life and facilitated his ability to set his next goal. From Scratch Beginnings, the group felt that goal setting should be explicitly taught by all to students.

Essential question that all educators should address is "How do we get students to value education?" What role do students play in making decisions about their education if we want them to have ownership and value their experiences? Do we build in choice when appropriate and possible?

True Service Learning is student-directed. Students identify a need, determine ways to meet that need, engage in activities tied to the curriculum, and reflect on that experience. Developmentally, Service Learning may be structured differently to meet the developmental needs.