Bill, Do they play video games? Could they report on those?
Renee On Mar 10, 2007, at 2:19 PM, Bill Roberts wrote: > Hi, > You haven't heard from me in awhile because I've met my match with this > year's 8th graders. They don't read, they don't do homework, they > don't do > anything. They have no hobbies, interests, opinions. They are > zombies who > come into the classroom, sit, and take up space. For the first time > ever, I > can say they are not any smarter or better prepared than they were in > the > beginning of school...and this is confirmed by every 8th grade teacher > I > work with! But I've discovered something that at least explains what > is > going on, even though it offers no solutions: > > They have NO comprehension at all. > > I assigned movie reviews thinking it might get them to try and do > something. > I gave a list of the AFI Top 100 Films of all time, plus a list of the > top > 250 foreign films of all time. The best films ever made. I hoped they > might discover a new world by seeing classics like CASABLANCA or GONE > WITH > THE WIND or even SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. Was I wrong. Most couldn't > even > watch a film because they didn't want to make the effort. They had 9 > weeks > to find a film, watch it, review it, and they didn't do it. So I made > it an > assignment for the next grading period...I wasn't going to give up. > Same > assignment, but this time they had to do an oral review and talk about > the > movie. My plan was for them to use their reading strategies and apply > them > to a movie.... > > 18 weeks of cajoling, reminding, and pleading, and about half did it. > The > ones who did, though, couldn't remember how the movie ended. They > could > tell me in detail about the first 10-15 minutes of the films, but they > couldn't tell me the story, who the characters were, how the movie > ended...nothing. I thought they might have fallen asleep, or stopped > watching, but all said they watched the entire movie....they just > couldn't > remember anything. Some even remembered wrong endings like the girl > who > said the shark survived the ending of JAWS. Her logic? The shark was > in > JAWS 2 and 3, so it must have survived. One girl couldn't remember > anything > about THE WIZARD OF OZ, not the yellow brick road, Dorothy, the > music,...she > couldn't even tell me the name of the land they were in! One advanced > student told me he watched WIZARD OF OZ, but he couldn't explain it > because > he got lost and confused. Another told about the Lion, Scarecrow, and > the > Robot. Most could not stay focused on 90 minutes of film long enough > to > process and remember it. Another, who loved CASABLANCA, couldn't > remember > what state Casablanca was located in. According to another, Clarice > was > interested in Hannibal Lechter because she was writing a book on him. > Another watched MY FAIR LADY, but hated it because she hates musicals. > I > asked why did she pick it when she had over 300 to choose from and she > said > "it sounded interesting." > > If they can't comprehend a movie, then what hope do we have of them > comprehending a book? > > Bill > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/ > mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > "Holding a grudge is like eating rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die." ~ Anne Lamott _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
