As an English teacher, connecting topics to the real world is imperative in keeping students engaged in classical and contemporary literature. While it is challenging to relate to teenagers, the world of literature is a great way to bridge that gap within the classroom. When I am selecting appropriate reading material, I always gauge whether there is something that I can pull from it that my students will be able to relate to. The first thing that I do as an educator is identifying the theme of whatever piece we are working on at that time. I in turn take that theme, and present it in a manner that is easily relatable to my students.
During the first week of class, we read “Everyday Use” by Alice
Walker. As a pre-reading activity, students are asked to write a journal about
a family heirloom. Students discuss values that are associated with the
heirloom and receive extra credit for bringing in the heirloom to show the
class. This activity has proven to be a great way to build a great classroom
climate with students. It gives us a chance to get to know one another, while
covering important content.
Another example is when we explored the theme of Tragic
Love in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; students were tasked with researching a
current event in which teenagers were faced with a Tragic Love situation. Students
researched tragic love incidents from around the world. In addition, the
students were required to draw comparisons and contrasts between their current
event couple and the Shakespeare lovers.
Another
example of how I relate content to the real world is by requiring my
students to complete monthly current event journals. Depending on their
article's source (city, state, country, or world) students are able to receive
additional points and credit. The analysis of the article allows the students
to show their mastery of a number of Common Core State Standards including
analyzing source material in informational texts. Most importantly, the
current event journals give students a chance to voice their opinions
about issues in the world while supporting their claims with evidence from the
text.
I
find that students are most engaged when content relates to their everyday
lives. We have discussed a wide rage of socially relevant issues, while
mastering standards and objectives. I believe that students will be more likely
to perform well on tests, when they have mastered objectives through material
that is familiar and relevant.
