Going crazy, wanna come?

This has been one busy semester so far. I think everyone is feeling the pressure now, but my spirits are still up. It helps that I'm starting to plan my own lessons now.

Couple of weeks ago I got to plan a lesson on Reconstruction. The students got to explore a website and answer some questions and discuss with their classmates. Groups of four each explored a single topic (like art and images or working conditions in the south). Then they compiled a study guide for their quiz. It went well in some hours, kind of shaky in others.

This week, I get to teach a lesson on Women's Suffrage. I assigned readings according to gender. The boys read the argument against suffrage for women, and the girls read the argument for suffrage for women. When they get to class, I'm going to do a discussion prompt about what a movement is, which should only take about 5 minutes. Then I'm breaking them into pairs, according to their gender, and they will make picket signs for a few minutes and discuss why some of them wrote or drew what they did. Their sign will match up with the argument they read. I'm hoping that this exercise will get them thinking "in the time." Then I will lecture about the suffrage movement and eventually tie it back to another discussion, prompted by the fact that sixty years after the 19th amendment was ratified, Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female Supreme Court Justice. We'll talk about why suffrage was so important, as well as things they wouldn't have been able to do 60 years ago that they can do today, and things they would like to be able to do in the future, or see youth do in the future, that they can't do today.

I think this will take a couple of days, but I'm trying to make it work with my schedule. If I have to go two days, then that will put me at Pioneer on Friday, and I have Technology class in the afternoon. Perhaps my mentor will finish up the last hour so that I can leave.

Off to do Pat's paper!