Explore 4-5 of the website provided in class

Explore 4-5 websites provided in class and reflect on them as a ML teacher

            http://www.daveyd.com

As we discussed in the last class, middle level students are incredibly interested in rap and hip-hop.  I like the idea of letting them explore this aspect of musical history and this idea seems like a great place to start.  Many of my students want to write reaserch papers on current rappers.  I love that I have a website to send them to that can help them broaden their horizons regarding this genre.

            www.freerice.com

The possibilities of this website seem endless!  I was amazed at how addicting “freerice” is.  To start with, you could use this website as an extension activity for students who finish researching or typing quickly.  You could also have students do a project about world hunger and the implications of the grains of rice they are providing. I think the “video game” aspect of the site (no matter how loosely you use the term “video game”) will provide an instant attention grabber.

            www.nmsa.org

This website is, not surprisingly, a wealth of knowledge for the middle level teacher.  I found the MiddleTalk list serve to be particularly intriguing. I know that teaching can often be an isolating career, even within the inter-disciplinary situations that middle schools provide.  I like the idea of opening up our professional dialogue to teachers across the country.  I’m definitely considering joining the National Middle School Association so that I will have access to this resource. 

            http://abolishthenword.com

What a powerful into… I can see many projects born from this website.  I know many of my students are particularly interested in the “n-word.”  I would be very interested to hear them debate on the pros and cons of keeping the word in today’s vernacular, especially if they used resources such as this one, which explore so much history.