The English Teacher.

Each year, I spent the first weeks learning as much as I could about each student (learning styles, work ethics, student status, behavior, etc.) Then I placed students in heterogeneous response groups for writing response, class projects, and other group activities. Within one group, I may have the football captain, the painfully shy student, the high achiever, and the boisterous student. I do this so that my students can learn to work with others outside their peer groups, but more importantly, they can create projects using each other’s talents and abilities.

 

I have found that my students form long-lasting bonds in these response groups, and my more reserved students begin to “break out of their shells.” To create a sense of unity and ownership, each group chooses a name, one that must somehow connect to Language Arts. I loved the names they came up - Comma Llamas,

Verb Vipers, Literacy Leopards, Creative Cows.   :)