Teaching Tip #165

Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #165

What lesson could you sell tickets for?  Or what lesson do students love the most?

I posed this question to half a dozen former students in the fall.  I thought they’d all mention the one that was my choice for the one lesson that I could sell tickets for.  But I actually got four different answers.  I hope that’s a good thing.

Adam shared that his favorite assignment was our Stick-Note Book Report.

I ask students to list on a note card three topics they love to read about.  Then I ask them to list two topics they don’t want to read about at all.

From their lists, I choose a book for them to read.  As they read, they must include at least 50 Sticky-Notes.  I’m hoping to expose them to the importance of not only annotating a text but to reading a text that is both nonfiction and college level and actually enjoying it.

Then when students are done, they must give a book talk to the class in which they share a quick summary of the book, one topic they are interested in researching, and one shocking or interesting fact from the book.

Here is a list of the books and projects students have done related to the Sticky-Note Book Reports.