My visit to Hamilton Middle School yesterday took me out in the snow-covered country. The school is located about 30 miles south of Emporia. The Hamilton School District is comprised of an elementary school with combination classes, a middle school, and a high school – all connected or in very close proximity. The district superintendent is also the principal. School is in session four days a week, with Friday School being held for those who need extra help.
The lesson I planned with the teacher, Renee Johnson, focused on reading to make a decision, and the decision we asked students to make was which cell phone to buy. We told them to pretend that the principal decided to but a cell phone for each teacher, and she had to choose from the two we presented, the Bing900 and the TwisterA3, both modeled after real cell phones. The enthusiasm of the students was great because we were talking about something they know! The lesson focused on jargon and persuasive techniques as they had to write a letter convincing the principal which phone would be the best for the teachers. One student wrote, “There are so many other good things about this phone. You won’t regret buying it. It is also a very good price too. The Bing900 is cooler, smarter, and has more technology. Did I mention it was cooler?”
I had fun working with the students. Their enthusiasm was wonderful to see – but who wouldn’t be enthusiastic talking about something so near and dear to their hearts. Watching their interest reinforced the idea that having students read real world texts that apply to their everyday lives is so important.
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