In my Advanced Placement World History: Modern course, I attach this page to the syllabus, and every month or so I have students read it.
What's interesting is how at the start of the year, students glaze over this thing with boredom. In theory, it is mundane to them. They've seen things like this before.
But once they get deeper into the context of their first-ever AP class — the difficulty, complexity, — the words start to mean something. The students start to read lines like, “How can I show [what I learn from this passage] in my notes without rewriting the whole thing?” and they nod their heads. They read, “We don't just read to read in here: we read to learn,” and they say, “Yeah… I need to work on that.”
And so when we revisit this list once a month or so, I like to ask students questions like this:
- Which of these do you need to START doing?
- Which (if any) of these do you need help with? (Schedule a time to sit down with Mr. Stuart.)
- Identify and explain one area where you are seeing growth in yourself as an APWH student.
It's not a silver bullet, but over time the exercise helps.
If this is something you'd like to modify for your own class, go ahead. Just go to this Google Doc, and then click File > Make a Copy.
And if this resource has helped you, feel free to show your appreciation by getting a copy of my book, These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most. Your support helps so much.
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