My students are incoming freshman that are anxious, eager, and excited about what their new school will hold for them. My classroom is a loving, caring and open area that students may feel comfortable expressing themselves without any fears. The students are expected to give and do their best and I, as their teacher, expect to present to them ideas and motivation to make this the best experience that they can have.
My students are innovators, inventors, artists, leaders and much more.
They need an environment that enhances these possibilities and makes them feel good, and even passionate about what they will imagine, learn, and create each day. The future of our world needs the children of today to bring this knowledge forward to new generations and their love for learning is only the beginning.
My Project
As part of our school's Cambridge AICE curriculum, 9th grade students take a class called General Paper. In this course, students are exposed to world issues ranging from historical to scientific to artistic topics. Students study these topics in depth and use their knowledge to write papers and essays in which they synthesize their thoughts. Novels provide the perfect platform as a jumping off point in discussing these topics in depth in the classroom.
Reading "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green will provide my students with an engaging novel study where we can begin to discuss issues related to mental illness and their impact on individuals.
By reading the story which is told from the point of view of a character who is dealing with mental illness, my students will develop empathy for others who deal with these issues on a daily basis. The novel will allow us to critically analyze mental illness, its impact on society, and the global approach to dealing with these issues. Having this novel, my students will be more engaged in this study and, as a result, I know their writing and analysis will be that much stronger.
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