High school students reading the entirety of The Great Gatsby?
Where does this happen these days? From what I’ve read in /r/Teachers, getting kids to read and comprehend more than a couple of paragraphs is a struggle for most students. It’s pretty bad out there.
My sister has been a high school English teacher for like 20 years. Ive talked to her about this at length because I do cyber security stuff.
The future for classrooms is debate in favor of essay.
Read a book. Present a thesis as it pertains to the book. Divide the class and have them debate one specific side of the thesis against the other.
i.e. have them read the great Gatsby. No essay. Just a week of debate.
Day 1, divide the class in half. One half must argue Jay Gatsby was a delusional criminal. The other must argue he was a tragic hero.
Day 2 - “The American Dream is Dead” vs “The American Dream is Corrupt”
Day 3, swap sides for day 1. Day 4, swap sides for day 2.
Day 5, have them write a reflection on the two debates in class. Where do they stand after hearing their peers takes on these positions?
High school students reading the entirety of The Great Gatsby?
Where does this happen these days? From what I’ve read in /r/Teachers, getting kids to read and comprehend more than a couple of paragraphs is a struggle for most students. It’s pretty bad out there.
Literally every public high school in New England.
Even in the fucked up education system in Texas, this is to my knowledge still required reading.