My Favourite Ways to Start the Year: Part Three

After my initial “warm up activities” (see previous posts), I’m ready to start into the curriculum.  I always start with non-fiction, as it provides an opportunity to give students interesting and relevant texts to read.  As the semester progresses, we will move on to poetry and Shakespeare, things they find “intimidating”, so I like to begin with texts that they find more accessible.  That way they can build their skills and gain confidence before we move on to the more difficult work.

So, to that end, we start with a topic that everyone in the room can relate to: Education.  We begin with a discussion of what they feel is working in the school system and what they feel needs to change.  We always have an amazing discussion because they usually have a lot to say!  I preface the discussion with a warning that they must not point a finger at any specific teacher, so the discussion stays general and focuses on issues, not people.

Then, we spend a couple of days reading/discussing a selection of poetry and non-fiction that is critical of various aspects–and players–in the education system.  We also view several videos that always get a great reaction.  My favourite is this one, a TedTalk from Sir Ken Robinson:

Finally, after we have looked at the system from many angles, I assign “The Ideal School Project”.  Students work in groups to design their version of the ideal school.  They look at courses, extra-curricular activities, etc. and create a presentation for the rest of the class.   They are always very thoughtful and creative, and presentation day is one of the best all year!

If you would like more detail on this, you can click on the image and download it for free on TPT.

Check out my other favourite ways to start the year here: Part One, Part Two and Part Four.