Assignment:
James is a first year English teacher in a low-income high school outside of a major metropolitan area. His students are of diverse backgrounds and equally diverse learning styles. As part of his opening unit, he is preparing to teach his class about the tools that authors use to make their writing more engaging. He decides to focus on symbolism, metaphor, and simile. He has already developed a vocabulary handout that defines each word and includes examples, but when he does an initial check for understanding he finds that most of his students are lost. Specifically, he finds that his students are having a hard time understanding what a comparison is. This makes the concepts of simile and metaphor impossible to comprehend. James decides to design a 45 minute lesson that clarifies for students what comparing is.
1. How might James structure his 45-minute lesson to include elements of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning?
2. What methods can James use to check for comprehension once the lesson is complete?
3. How might he follow up in ensuing class periods as a continued check of comprehension and to remediate students who may still not understand.