by Anja Norris
Ms. DeVries, 8th grade ELAR teacher at Davila, has created a respectful, productive learning environment for all of her scholars. The routines and procedures she has established all year have solidified and her classes are reaping the benefits. When I visited her room, the students were reading along in their own copy of the book Refugee. Afterward, Ms. DeVries asked a couple of comprehension questions, connecting one to students’ own lives. Following this, there was a seamless transition into stations.
- The first station was on the computer. Students were to read a fiction text and complete a practice test. After that, they were instructed to work on edpuzzle.
- The second station was an editing passage facilitated by the student teacher.
- The third station was a revising lesson facilitated by the teacher. The lesson focus was on eliminating “redundancy”. Students engaged in partner talk and listening and responding to each other as well as the teacher.
Thank you, Ms. DeVries, for your hard work and dedication as you prepare your scholars for greater achievement in reading and writing, hold them accountable, and provide them with rigor and relevance.