Anne Ruggles Gere, Colleen Fairbanks, Alan Howes, Laura Roop, David Schaafsma
Published by Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1992
"QUENTIN, THAT'S SOME HAT you have on," Rich says as his third-hour Language
Arts students file into the room. Quentin, gangly for an eighth grader, chuckles as he
saunters toward the cluster of desks in the back of the room. He knows that it's against
school rules to wear hats in class. He whips off the bright orange Chicago Bears baseball
cap and hangs it on the hook Mr. Chapin has installed for just that purpose. Even though
it's only October, this interchange has become a ritual.
Kevin enters the room with less drama. He pauses at the door to ask Mr. Chapin for help
with his social studies homework. "Can you stop by during lunch hour?" the teacher asks.
When Julie comes in with a group of other girls, she shows Mr. Chapin the new book
she's taken out from the library. "Hey, Mr. Chapin. I started reading Stephen King's
Different Seasons last night."
"Oh yeah? Is that the collection of short stories?"
"Yeah. The one I was reading is called 'The Body.' It's the one they made the movie
Stand by Me from."
"I think I saw it on HBO this summer."
After the bell rings, Rich continues to walk around the room, chatting with students for
several more minutes. An experienced teacher with a master's degree in reading, Rich
believes that when he shows interest in his students' lives, he can use such personal
connections to motivate them. Snippets of conversations, anecdotes, and subject matter
from these informal talks pepper the formal lessons, bridging the distance between
students' prior knowledge and the new skills they are acquiring.
"Hey, guys. Listen up." Rich rallies student attention to the front of the room. He leans on
the corner of his desk, looking to the blackboard where the day's lesson plan is neatly
listed:
October 14-3rd Hour Language Arts
Language as Development, p. 2
"Teens and Their Parents: Learning How to Talk"
Before you read:
Make your journal entry. From the title of the article, what do you think it
will be about? How do you talk to your parents? What problems do you
have talking to your parents? How could your talk be better?
Sample Solution