Week 5: 3/3/15

Your CTs Methods

Class Observed: Period 5 (9:30-11:00am)
1. What concepts or skills are being developed?
The students are working toward a general understanding of As I Lay Dying (Faulker) as
a whole work based on previous discussions that had each focused on approximately onethird of the novel.
The students are also practicing in-depth analysis skills similar to the ones that will be
assessed on the AP Exam.
o Students are using questions from previously-released AP tests to analyze As I Lay
Dying. Its a nice changethey usually answer discussion questions related
specifically to the novel theyre readingand it allows them to approach the text
from a wider angle (i.e., open-ended questions).
o This exercise also helps them get used to the types of questions that will be on the AP
test.
2. How is student progress toward these concepts or skills evaluated and assessed?
Mr. Holman is using a range of techniques:
o He monitors group discussions (informal).
o He interjects occasionally, directing whole-class discussion as students share their
responses (informal).
o He will collect the questions at the end of the period and read/grade them (formal in
the sense that it will be graded, informal in that it is not a major grade/assessment).
3. What motivational techniques are used?
Mr. Holman has the students read through the whole list of 15 questions and, in their
groups, determine which few theyd be most interested in answering.
He then has one student from each group race (safely) to the whiteboardwhere he has
written the numbers 1-15and select one question from the list by erasing that number
from the board. Its a fun way to get the students interested in the questions while
promoting some friendly competition.
No other motivational techniques are used.
4. What questioning techniques are used?
Mr. Holman uses the AP test questions to get the students thinking critically about the
novel.
As of this period, no students have chosen question #5, which asks students how a
country setting functions/creates meaning within a work. Mr. Holman asks the students
how they would go about approaching such a question were it to be on the test. The
students correctly answer, Define a country setting. Mr. Holman then builds on this

response, telling students they could (theoretically) use a sci-fi novel and use Mars as a
country setting as long as they defined it as such.
When he asks students questions regarding the AP questions or other aspects of the
novel, hes very good at asking them how and whylots of
explanation/discussion/higher-order thinking comes from this.
5. How are print materials used?
The students bring their books and can refer to them (in fact, they have to since they have
to provide textual evidence for their responses).
Students are also given copies of the questions.
6. How are student learning styles addressed?
For the most part, the lesson is geared toward visual learners (reading questions and
writing answers).
However, Mr. Holman also utilizes group and whole-class discussion (aural learners). For
these learners, Mr. Holman also has student groups share their final responses with each
other (pairs discuss with other pairs, rotating through until they have shared with all
student pairs).