At our school, students take dual-credit college courses when they demonstrate the academic skills and habits of mind needed to be successful. The students in my class are not ready yet because they struggle with coming to school (missing an average of 2 days/week), have failed multiple classes in the past/are credit deficient, and some have been involved with the juvenile justice system in the past.
As a result, Students in this class are students who are not yet reading & writing at the level needed for college-level English classes and/or who have not yet demonstrated personal accountability, grit, or work habits needed to be successful in college.
With past classes, not going to college classes has felt like a punishment and led to pervasive disengagement by those already below grade level and at risk. I asked students for input on how I could increase their engagement & they asked for a voice in how they will develop the necessary skills, including independent research, critical thinking, teamwork, college-level reading, & argumentative writing.
My Project
To combat disengagement of my 11th and 12th graders, I have worked with students to design an alternative English course that will bring in students' outside interest in television shows such as Criminal Minds, CSI, and Making a Murderer to provide students with the critical thinking, reading, writing, research, and teamwork skills needed to be successful in upper-level courses.
They will read Speak, a novel about the experience of a victim following a sexual assault; and American Street and The Lines We Cross, novels about the experience of immigrating to America.
These will then be used to learn about and discuss the implications of law on society and in the news as well as how victims of crimes are portrayed in the news.
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