Advocate, advocate, advocate.

On Tuesday I spent almost the entire period talking about and trying to re-invest my students in the "big goals" of their class...I even had a beautiful poster made on the new poster machine at school (you can print something on computer paper and scan it and it comes out poster-size).  Here's what it looks like:

  

I talked a lot about what the word "advocate" means and different ways the students could advocate for their learning needs, whether it be asking questions or participating during class, or reminding their teachers that they are allowed to have extra time on tests.  We had what I thought was a decent discussion and moved on to work on their grade trackers.  At the beginning of the year they made color-coded line graphs where they graph their grades in each class every week...it is still my favorite thing that I have done with that class and sometimes the only thing I can get them excited to do.  They are very visual and love seeing the slopes for certain classes going up, while the negative slopes often set a little bit of a fire under them.  

Yesterday, my "Do Now" was: In your own words, what does the word advocate mean?  List three examples of how you can advocate for your own needs.

Blank stares.  From both classes.  None of them remembered what it meant.  So I spent another class discussing it with them

Today's Do Now:  In your own words, what does the word advocate mean?  List three examples of how you can advocate for your own needs.

"But Miss, that was our Do Now yesterday."   

I told them that since none of them remembered what advocate meant yesterday, which was fine, that they could do it today.

More blank stares, they forgot again!  I'm starting to see proof of what I've been told, that students won't truly comprehend a vocabulary word without at least 10 exposures to it.  Spent another 20 minutes trying to explain it...

Eighth period I sat with JT during Global, which I do every once in a while because I know he sleeps through that class 95% of the time.  I was helping him with a worksheet, and every prompt I gave him he responded with "the answer is it's time to go to sleep."  One question asked about how Enlightenment thinkers inspired the French Revolution, and I was explaining that these philosophers inspired people to stand up for their natural rights.  

I watched JT write down, "Enlightenment thinkers inspire people to ADVOCATE for their rights."  He looked at me and smiled and said, "See, you think we don't listen to you, but we do." My reaction was so absurdly over-the-top-happy that the global teacher looked at me like I was insane.

Tomorrow's Do Now?  In your own words, what does the word advocate mean?  List three examples of how you can advocate for your own needs.