The phrase I often hear from my students is that ELA is boring. They speak English, so why should they have to learn English. The key to changing this attitude is in making ELA lessons relevant to them.
Textbook vs. World: Is it relevant to them?
When we teach strictly from the textbook, we lose the opportunity for relevance. Students need to know why this matters to them. It’s the same equivalence to “Why learn Algebra because I’ll never use it?” mindset.
Yes, we use the English language each day, and some students can read enough to get by, but do they know the importance of having a deeper understanding?
I have often shared with my students the statistics regarding those who read and those who do not. Monetarily, those who do not read tend to lose out on larger salaries to those who do read. So, how do you win them over to understanding how it is relevant in the world?
One way to provide my students with a learning experience that is relevant is to give them opportunities to use ELA skills in real world situations. How many jobs are there that require the use of reading and writing?
I have a board that I put up each year that lists what my students will be when they enter my classroom. They don’t understand it at first; however, as the year unfolds, they start to make the connections.
My students, during the year, will be:
- Lawyers
- Judges
- Reporters
- Researchers
- Scientists
- Writers
- Artists
- Detectives
I will have them complete different activities that they would perform in the real world in the guise of learning. I make reading and writing relevant.
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