ENGL 335 Blog Post 9: Beers Chp. 8 & Hinchman Chp. 2

The theme I found most ever-present in these two chapters was how much the difference between each individual student who is learning English as second language plays a critical role in how students engage and interact in the classroom. The differences between levels of language proficiency and differences among the various languages and cultures students represent give the teacher a full plate of work and responsibility if they are dedicated to meeting all learner needs. I do not have as much knowledge regarding the methods and practices in teaching ELL students so both of these chapters helped give me a great starting part about what I need to know as a teacher, and what I need to do with that information.

With ELL students, there is a necessity for student knowledge on the individualized level, down to the smallest cultural detail. A teacher can have a group of students which he/she would classify as Asian, but there are differences between students who are from Korean vs Chinese vs Japanese culture. Aside from just cultural expectations, the variances in language and dialect exist. These chapters mention how Hispanics who are from different areas will speak in different dialects of Spanish. I feel like the number one step before anything else is to dedicate time knowing and building relationships with students. I liked the idea of giving students surveys that can help teachers understand their background with language.

What really stood out to me was the discussion about classroom expectations for students of different cultures. Here in the US, teacher education textbooks have a heavy emphasis on active learning, collaboration, and meaningful discussion. I never thought about how some students of other cultures are taught to learn silently or only answer questions for the sake of being correct versus adding for the sake of discussion. This is information that can help teachers understand students' classroom behavior. The suggestion about incorporating technology (blogs, forums, etc.) as an outlet for students who may be less vocal in the classroom is a good strategy that works for all students no matter the culture. It's a universal design approach.

I liked the point that was made about the primary language serving to scaffold the second language and how it is important not to disregard students' first language as it is a part of them. We should not be trying to wipe out students' native language with English, but should use what they know to enhance their English learning. A question was raised in Beers' chapter about what to do when a student starts speaking his/her native language that we as the teacher do not understand. I appreciated the response about how even if we cannot make sense of the words, we can see the emotion elicited behind the words. This reminds me of the time I spent last May in Honduras with an MIA team from Olivet. There were times where I heard messages delivered solely in Spanish, and even though I could not understand what exactly was being said, I remember feeling high emotions due to the intensity and passion of the speaker.

The challenge for teachers seems to be both helping students learn English and also applying it across the content areas. Therefore, content instruction requires differentiation and creativity. There is always a way to meet a classroom full of different needs, the teacher just needs to be willing.

The outlines of lessons delivered at the end of Hinchman's chapter were great examples about how to teach explicitly while giving students chances to learn from each other and teach other what they know. Having differentiated group work when students move to independent learning is a strategy I have seen before in special education that can be very successful.

Overall, we will most likely encounter ELL students at one point or another during our teaching career. We need to embrace these students and show them that we are interested in who they are. I loved the quote from Beers' chapter on page 115 that says, "Students bring their languages, their ways with words, their ways of learning, and their beliefs and lifestyles into our classrooms. If we can see these as resources, rather than oddities, our minds, and our student's minds, will open and our curriculum will be enriched." I have been learning in my special education intervention class about strength-based learning and using student strengths to create a positive learning environment for them. If we design our instruction to use the strengths of our students in order to meet their needs, we will be fostering learning and growth. We need to do the same for our ELL students! Let's use their experiences, native language, and strong points to their advantage.

EDUC 333: My "Subjective I's"

I used to describe myself as unbiased (Check out another article from tolerance.org. about Bias- Click here!) This statement came from the lack of knowledge I had about my points of subjectivity that can develop into personal or cultural biases. It turns out that I have some "Subjective I's" that have the opportunity to either make it or break it in my future classroom, especially a multicultural classroom.

The first of these four "I's" is what I call my "Sticking to the Script I." This is an I that when explored, is absolutely true about myself, I just did not expect it to come alive during our class interview. During the interview I moved briskly from one question to the next with my interviewee, checking the time as we went, making sure that we were "sticking to the script." This is a tendency I know that I have, ESPECIALLY in terms of my teacher education. I want to meet all the requirements, dot all the I's and cross all the T's, making sure I have done exactly what was called for. I have also found this to ring true in my lesson planning. I will be honest, I have a bit of a complex when it comes to lesson planning. First of all, I spend way to long on them. Second, I have struggled with feeling married to the lesson plans I write, trying to stick to the script of it even in teaching. If there is one thing I have learned through experiences of trial and error it is this: You must be flexible. You cannot let the lesson plan control you.

In a multicultural setting, I must realize that the unique qualities, needs, and experiences of my students may cause the lesson to veer off course according to the written lesson plan. But if that veering off course leads to greater engagement and learning moments for students- have we really veered off course? Am I really wanting to just travel safely to get from point A to point B with my students without any bumps or waves crashing along the way? No!

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!" -Unknown

Shouldn't the same be true about our teaching? We want to ask the hard questions, go through the trial and error, and endure a healthy struggle which will lead to overall growth and increased knowledge that will impact future learning. To ignore this I is to say that I will expect my students to stick to a script the same way I do. Do I want this? Absolutely not. I want my classroom to be a safe place where students can feel comfortable to discuss and speak up without the fear of "being wrong." I will not put my students in a box.

My next I is scary to me. It is my "Marginalization-Inclination I," the I that comes from what I have referred to as the "call to help those who are marginalized." My fear with this I is that I will go into my classrooms that represent a diverse population of students, and assume that they all have these hard lives that I am going to get to improve. I cannot view teaching as a way for me to be "the savior" of my students because the truth is that all students are not going to feel marginalized (There will be students who do, but I cannot assume right off the bat that every home life is broken.) Rather, I need to work to understand my students and to build relationships with them, learning about who they are and then using that information to be conscious in my planning and teaching. This I can lead to an environment that is based on the foundation of one idea about my students....The following is a Ted Talk (I'm all about Ted Talks, I accredit this to my favorite high school history teacher) on what is called "the danger of a single story" and how it creates stereotypes. (A bit long but definitely worth the watch!)

My Jesus Christ I is the I that comes from my preference toward the essence of Christianity and the notion that it defines how I live my life. What if my definition of morality gets in the way of forming positive connections with all students? How will I respond to students of different religions or even sexual orientations? If this I has the ability to wander free, I will endure some serious challenges. Instead of letting my relationship with Jesus turn into something negative, why not let it become positive? Why not look to Jesus, truly understanding His character and heart for serving others, even different from himself, and treat my students the same. To be cliche, What would Jesus do?

The last I is something I have struggled with since reaching adolescence; being easily influenced. I have always found myself to be a bit of a chameleon, and I have in past experiences tended to be easily influenced by the views of friends and significant others, allowing their views to overshadow views I thought I had. What about in teaching? I cannot let students behavior lead me to make quick assumptions or judgements about a student. The idea of letting my classroom be a place where students always have a clean slate with each new day is very important to me. I must cling to this goal in order to prevent this I from inserting itself.

Bottom line: Now that I am conscious of these biases, they have the potential to grow in whatever way I let them. I'm going to make it positive!!! 

EDUC 333: Interview of African-American Individual Regarding Educational Experience

My first reaction to the interview? I am equally surprised and not surprised.

Let me explain.

Yes, I am completely surprised that throughout Sydney's entire educational experience she never had a time where she felt race affected her in a negative way. No negative classroom experiences, and no issues with teachers. That is AMAZING, and once we got into where she grew up and her family background, I became less surprised about the lack of negative experiences. Sydney never had the chance to let race set her apart. A lot of this seems to have been because of the success of her parents, along with some successful teachers, and the way they challenged her to be her absolute best. She grew up in Barrington, IL before moving to Bloomington, IL in 3rd grade and if you have never heard of Barrington, it is quite an affluent neighborhood. Sydney mentioned that Mercedes were the typical types of cars people drove. Here is a picture that came up when I googled houses in Barrington, IL:

Granted, I cannot say for sure what her house looked like, but googling some images helped put in perspective that this is a very wealthy area. So I thought about it, Sydney lived in this type of community for the first part of her childhood (She described Bloomington as still very nice, except trade the Mercedes for a Honda), with two successful parents...her race could not set her apart as she was living the same lifestyle as all the whites in her neighborhood.

Success was everywhere she looked, and when she told me about how much her parents influenced her belief about success, it made sense why she worked so hard in school. Growing up, kids need positive role models like them who represent something they can also achieve. Not every one of our students are going to have parents fulfill that role, so as teachers we need to work hard to introduce students to role models who represent their goals and dreams. Oftentimes, in multicultural settings, we find kids who have grown up being told they would never make it which leads kids to develop a tendency to give up. On the classroom level, teachers can make the first step to help reprogram students attitudes about what they can achieve. It may take consistent efforts on the teachers part, but we have the power to unlock students hidden potential! 

What stuck out to me the most about why Sydney's classroom experiences were so successful were the following two common themes in her responses:

1. High Expectations

The self-fulfilling prophecy regarding education always finds itself to be true. When teachers expect students to fail, students will fail. When teachers raise the bar, and have high expectations for all students, things start to look differently. Slowly but surely, students start to believe in themselves as well. It sounds cliche but when you truly believe in your students and continue to tell them that they can do something, be something, and that they can make it....the results are powerful. 

2. Respect 

When Sydney said, "You can’t expect respect without giving it," my first thought went to the movie Freedom Writers. 

I have heard various students talk about how disrespect from their teachers gives them permission to be disrespectful back. Sydney described respect as a two way street. Respect goes a long way. Teachers need to show respect to students but students equally need to show teachers respect if they want to receive it back. 

Sydney's advice for future teachers like me working in a multicultural setting is so great because none of her suggestions are challenging to do- Showing students respect, being there for them if they need you, keeping their needs in mind when teaching- none of these things are impossible- yet for some reason so many others are not getting the same experiences as Sydney had in her classrooms. We need to know that stories of teachers who "got it right" are out there, and that the stories of their students positive experiences can shape us as we step into our future classrooms. 

The component I will close with is her thoughts on colorblindness. Sydney seemed to agree with the standpoint that me and my classmates had post debate- that you cannot brush race under the rug. You cannot deny the things that make students unique, you cannot deny their experiences, because those are the things that make the students who they are. I wondered if the friends that Sydney mentioned who told her that she "talked and acted white" were experiencing a bit of colorblindness themselves. They seemed to remove her from her race and place her into a different category. As teachers we cannot remove students from their race. We cannot remove them from the stories and the history connected to their race. 

I close with an article that Michele and I looked at when planning our debate against the idea of colorblindness.

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-36-fall-2009/feature/colorblindness-new-racism 

ENGL 335 Blog Post 8: Beers Chp. 7 & Hinchman Chp. 7

The five major components of reading are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Beers starts off right away by discussing the importance and value of teaching vocabulary as it gives students a means of advancing their knowledge of the world around them. As she describes, vocabulary instruction that consists of students matching words to definitions is not going to cut it for teaching students how to apply and use those words in their conversations. Beers brings up the importance of high school diplomas and how they are often times "broken promises" given to students telling them that they have the means to succeed when all they did was manage to get by by memorizing and learning how to pass by doing the bare minimum. She argued that we need to add value to our students diplomas by being teachers who provide students with content backed by meaningful experiences and life application they can use for college and future careers. She also poses the question that as educators, we have the means and the research to know what students need, so why do the circumstances prove otherwise? The quote on page 88 from Baumann and Kame'enui states, "We know too much to say we know too little and we know too little to say that we know enough." Beers adds that the transfer of research into classroom instruction is what we are lacking. This is so true! Just from going through the vast bank of educational research for class assignments proves there is no lack of information. It is even more true that these research articles and studies can be hard for teachers to pull from and transfer into their classroom practices. Teachers even have a learning curve just like students when it comes to deciphering new or complex material. I find myself having to do re-reading and constant annotating when reading educational research.

Going back to vocabulary, it, like any topic, has no one-size fits all method and requires variety in teaching styles and strategies in order to give students multiple pathways toward confidence and success in learning and using new words. To address the components of teaching vocabulary, Beers lays out the groundwork for strategies teachers can easily bring into their own classrooms. One of the strategies I would agree to be successful and that I plan on implementing is the use of graphic organizers. Having a visual image of organized information is not only helpful for visual learners, but for all students who struggle with making connections, understanding relationships between concepts, and pulling out key information. I have used graphic organizers in previously taught lessons and enjoy using them with students because they are tools that can be used in every subject area. They are also versatile, come in many forms, and can easily be adapted to what is best for the content being discussed. The other strategy that I liked was the "Concept Circles" which can be used as a means of assessment as it requires students to have knowledge of the word along with how that word connects to other words. This is a way to evaluate student's understanding while helping them with their expressive language skills as opposed to just being able to recognize the definition on a test. You want to make sure that students level of understanding eventually reaches the application stage to where students can use new words in their own exchanges with family, friends, etc. Beers comments, "we are teaching content for transfer sake." Vocabulary is so important because when students expand their word bank and learn words that they can use in their spoken and written language, they can have further success in other elements of reading such as comprehension which the book points out. Every student has a different set of experiences and prior knowledge that determines their understanding of words. Some are exposed to more words than others which is why teachers should strive to provide quality instruction using what students to know to guide them to learn something new. 

In Hinchman's chapter, he addresses similar concepts about teaching vocabulary. He talks about the importance of leading students to use "meta cognitive strategies" independently by modeling and showing students what using those strategies look like. He also mentioned that having students discuss those strategies among peers can be beneficial. Through discussion, students can discover new methods that their peers have had success with. Adolescent students often place more value on what their friends suggest over what teachers suggest so peer collaboration can be greatly beneficial. Hinchman then gives some different strategies such as "Teach-Teach-Trade, Word a Day, and Root Word Web." All these strategies had an emphasis of having students take vocabulary words and describe them through multiple means such as written definitions, word parts, pictures, their own sentences, etc.

The last thing Hinchman addressed was using digital means for students to develop their vocabulary. He suggested websites such as "Wordle" and "Glogster," both which I have used in my high school English classes. A site like Glogster is a great alternative to students making poster boards as students all have the same resources when it comes to aesthetic (Plus you can add video and music to glogster which is really cool). One of my classes today was just discussing how poster board assignments can put students who cannot afford to buy materials at a disadvantage. Digital means of describing vocabulary is a great way to engage and motivate learners while also allowing creativity.

Vocabulary is an aspect of reading that is often not viewed as important as comprehension and fluency but the truth is that vocabulary will lead to student progress in other areas (which the book backs up with research.) I think there is a lot of space for creativity and fun when learning vocab especially when students create displays, have peer discussion/class games and activities, etc. When I was a student, elementary through high school, I always loved learning new words that I could use in my daily life. It was always a confidence boost when I would come across vocabulary words in other contexts and then be able to know their meaning.  Like Beers stated at the end of her chapter, leading students to use new vocabulary words can make them feel like they are using "a secret code" to better understand the world.

ENGL 335 Blog Post 7: Hinchman Chp. 3 & Beers Chp. 16

Both of these chapters were overflowing with valuable information. Hinchman's chapter focused on motivation and how to view motivation as something every student can have. The chapter started by pointing out some of the misconceptions about motivation by giving statements typically said by teachers. The two statements that struck a chord with me were "I wish my students were more motivated" and "I just don't know what I can do to motivate these students." The first statement, as the text describes, gives the impression that motivation is something you have or do not have. Motivation is then described as something that develops over time in each student in different ways and at different times. I really liked this description of motivation because I am guilty of often seeing it (even in myself as a student) as something I either have or do not have depending on the subject area/topic. Motivation is not a quality someone has but it is something that can emerge and grow in students. The second statement is said to infer that motivation is something a teacher can quickly provide in a lesson to engage learners. I am guilty of this misconception as I often have this mindset when approaching lessons. Motivation is not something that a teacher can provide in a lesson, but is something that starts within students that teachers can work to bring to the surface. The misconceptions given and the new ways to think about motivation through students answering the three questions of "Can I do this, do I want to do this and why, and what do I need to do to succeed?" helped reshape and extend my thinking about how to develop motivation in my future students.

Hinchman looked at these 3 questions from both the category of competent and struggling readers. I thought this was important because teachers can fall into the trap of not realizing the support that even good readers need. One of the ideas that resonated with me was giving choice and options to students. When students have a say in their learning and get to make decisions about what they research, present on, etc., the question of "do I want to do this activity? already becomes a yes. Why? Because it is something the student selected themselves. I remember my junior high language arts teacher giving us final project options such as using writing, art, or music to meet the criteria. Project options give the chance for students to tap into their learning style and do what they like, thus fostering motivation to complete the project, and also giving teachers the opportunity to see student strengths they may not have known about. A big point that Hinchman made which we need to be aware of is the cognitive versus cultural components that affect motivation. Even if we are bringing in the best instructional strategies and practices, some students have spent their whole lives relating school with failure which even the best lessons cannot change. One of my professors told me that it is important to know that every student wants to learn how to read, even if they do not show it. I believe that this is true. No student wants to fail. Teachers need to keep this in mind so they can stay hopeful and remind themselves that motivation can still develop later in student's educational career, it just might take longer to break negative thinking patterns. When the text talked about rebuilding self-efficacy for struggling readers, the point about focusing on reading as something other than progress and performance can lead to students changing their outlooks about their work. When the goal of reading becomes something that students can have fun with and learn to love, the thought of reading as mundane can fade away. When reading is shown as a way to open other doors of success, students can learn to want to read.

Looking at Beer's chapter, her discussion on the "Pedagogy of Confidence" (believing that all students will learn) ties along with helping students become motivated as teacher's expectations will affect how students approach assignments. It sounds like something that is constantly being repeated in textbooks and in classes, but it is something that can truly transform a classroom. As Beers also mentioned, relationships are key to academic success. Building relationships and affirming students, telling them they will succeed, WILL make a difference. If a student is told constantly that they will achieve, they will start to fulfill that until it becomes an attitude they have about themselves. The last thing I really enjoyed from this chapter which I will be incorporating into my teaching will be the thinking-maps. Thinking maps are a great strategy because they give students a tool that they can use in all other subject areas.

When students become motivated, the effort they put into their work and the quality of their work starts to change. When teachers form positive relationships with students, their willingness to participate in learning increases. When teachers believe in students, students believe in themselves. These chapters focused on concepts that when reflected on by teachers, can create an amazing classroom environment.

EDUC 333 Blog Post 3: With All Deliberate Speed

After watching this movie, what stuck out to me the most was the long journey and efforts it took to actually get to the Brown vs. Board case. The strategy of the NAACP was to build individual cases in order to get to the Supreme Court. The issue of segregated schools was something that needed to be brought to attention as society did not see it as an issue to be changed, they just saw it as "the way things were." This mindset brings to mind a quote shared by my favorite high school teacher from Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, "The most dangerous phrase in the language is 'we've always done it this way.'" The resistance to change and even seeing that there was a change that needed to be made was evident in the struggle to bring the importance of ending school segregation to light. In order to make the issue mean something, the small cases built by the NAACP focused on the constitution and the 14th amendment to knock down the idea of separate but equal because "separate will never be equal." This quote made it evident to me why the people at the time saw no need for change. They had a warped view that separate was equal. This argument by the NAACP and their work towards the eventual Brown vs. Board case encouraged others to recognize that any act of  separation was unjust.

The speech given by the high school teacher was a powerful one. She made it clear to her students that racism still exists and while talking about the ways in which blacks were separated made the powerful comment that, "a history unknown is a history repeated." This quote given by the teacher and also in bold on the back of the DVD box is one of the movie's central messages. I will admit that through watching this movie, I gained a greater awareness of the fight toward integrated schooling. When studying in classes, you review cases like Brown vs. Board and think of it as a one time deal, when in reality, it was something that resulted from small cases and grew into something that could not be ignored. Aside from just Brown vs. Board, the history of segregation as a whole is something that sadly to many is a history unknown. The power of history is that it informs us and pushes us toward a different future. Without the knowledge of history, individuals are doomed to make the same mistakes and have the same prejudices as that of their ancestors. Therefore, we need history. We need the harsh truths and cannot become ignorant to the oppression that African-Americans faced. Without it, we are subject to the vicious cycle that continues to wreak havoc on our world.

The NAACP continued to be the voice of defeating school segregation in the 40s and 50s. For African-American Southerners, the NAACP consisted of local leaders in local cases who provided lawyers and support. The support was greatly needed as there were opinions at the time that did not see the need for ending school segregation. John Davis's argument was one of them as he believed that ending school segregation was not worth it and that it would not be beneficial for everyone to be together. He undermined the issue all together, which goes back to the fact that many simply did not view school segregation as a problem. Davis saw it as a way to protect students from potential problems. Thurgood Marshall responded to John Davis's opinion by explaining why the issue of eliminating school segregation IS worth it- because it is racism. He went to the root of segregation, saying that there must be some reason why blacks are the ones who are separated in this way. He stated that the only thing he could think of is that it was the mindset that "the people formally in slavery should be kept that way." He said that this is not what the constitution was about. Preach it Marshall! To address Davis's comment that it would not be beneficial for blacks and whites to be together, Marshall said that if they could play in the street together and be together in other ways, why could they not go to school together? How would that not be beneficial? In my opinion, Thurgood Marshall's response would leave John Davis without much to say back.

When the Brown vs. Board case finally arrived and declared segregation as unconstitutional, there was one phrase that had good intentions but resulted in many setbacks. "With all deliberate speed." The case ruled that segregation by the states would be "ended with all deliberate speed." This wording was chosen to help deflect some of the violence that would break out after the court ruling but instead was said to be interpreted as "take your time." The ambiguous wording caused delay for states to end segregation and resulted in opposition of the court order. The aftermath of Brown vs. Board was something I can sadly say I was not truly aware of until now. Like I said, when you learn about Brown vs. Board, you learn about it as a victory and you assume that once it was passed, all was well. All was certainly not well. Looking at the horrific aftermath in South Carolina and Virginia, the resistance and refusal to abide by the court orders was deeply saddening. The letter to the Reverend from the whites to get out of town or be forced to get out of town left me unsettled. The irony of the spelling and grammar errors throughout the letter was uncanny. Whites were the ones who were supposed to be educated, and here they were sounding like the exact label they would give to blacks.

This movie left me with some guilt for not fully knowing the history of Brown vs. Board. It wasn't just a case that came and went and made a difference, it was a long and painful road toward achieving a change that was not even immediately put in place. We view the case today as a historical milestone, but at the time, like the movie stated, it wasn't just about making history, it was about the students. No one realized how the case would go down as a valuable aspect of history, African-Americans were just trying to make a difference in the lives of students at the time who endured the segregation. The video also made it evident that through all the resistance and oppression, blacks kept going. A quote at the end of the movie by a young African-American stated, "Die with your staff in hand going forward." This was truly the attitude of African-Americans, that they would not go down without a fight and would not take no for an answer. This attitude is the reason why today we go to integrated schools and do not think twice about it. This video challenged me to know the full story, and not to turn my face away from the harsh realities that took place but to face them head on, using knowledge of the past to turn "we've always done it this way" into "how can we make a better way."

ENGL 335 Blog Post 5: Hinchman Chapter 12

Meeting standards is a process. New standards have made it harder for teachers to veer from the challenging texts their students are supposed to read and become well-versed in. When it becomes all about the text, the students lose what the book refers to as "a powerful space for learning." Through my classroom experiences both as a student and teacher candidate, I have learned that some of the best teaching moments come unplanned, unprompted, and are set apart from just textbooks and documents. Sticking to the text and material is important, but it is just not enough. Once Hinchman begins to walk through how The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 can be paired with added information such as charts, context, the document's intention, and so forth, the pathway for student learning opens up. You need to break free just enough so that students can be set up for success without letting the lesson veer way off course. Even starting a simple conversation about students preconceptions about the issue of immigration gave the teacher in the chapter the opportunity to assess what students knew and were requiring more background knowledge of. I love KWL charts, I think they are a great way for teachers to gain insight that can guide the course of the lesson.

The strategies offered to combat the dullness of simply getting through content proved that there are ways to meet the standards by still engaging and motivating students. It is about being conscious about your students, what they know, what you want them to know, and how you will get them there. I liked the strategy of problem-facing so students have something to look for. Giving students a purpose with the text helps answer student's question of "what am I supposed to do with this?" The second strategy that stuck out to me as being valuable was pairing text with visuals, videos, etc. This strategy addresses multiple learning styles, while furthering students comprehension through a different modality. I am glad that Hinchman addressed that visual supports cannot replace text for students who struggle with reading. Visuals should be given to help students make connections to the text. If the student is having significant struggles with getting through the passage, teachers should plan ways to attack the situation through direct instruction or additional support versus letting it slide and giving students an out.

When I am in the process of planning, I focus on both content and creativity. I have standards students need to meet, I have academic objectives I want them to meet, but I want them to meet those standards and objectives in a way that is centered around what they need and what they will most benefit from. Not every lesson can include creative hands-on activities, but every lesson can include opportunities for students to have success. This chapter made it clear that we need to evaluate what students need to know in order to read a text. We cannot give students a blueprint to build a house without giving them the materials, tools, and guidelines necessary to build it.