Podcast in 5th Grade

The iCoaches, Courtney O'Connor, Michelle Fishcer, and Ed Beringer have launched a joint project centered around the novel Esperanza Rising. The story begins in Mexico in the 1930’s; twelve year old Esperanza is the main character, an only child of a wealthy Mexican landowner. After her father is killed and her heritage is taken from her by her uncles, Esperanza and some of her family travel to California where she works as poor migrant worker.

The story gives readers many themes that apply even today– male authority, corruption, the American dream, stark plight of many immigrants, social inequities, and on and on.  And teachers are using many of the social justice themes of the story to teach/discuss the current immigrant caravan story.   
Angela and Justin Gonzalez, our instructional coaches, are working with the teacher teams to compose a series of podcasts highlighting student discussion around the characters and themes of this story.  Irving and Piper students will alternate podcasts. This link is this week’s podcast featuring five Irving students discussing Chapters 1 and 2.  Please take a few minutes to listen. 

Quite honestly, I was blown away by the high level of student discussion and engagement -

  • students paid attention to one another’s comments 
  • students “piggy backed” on other student’s ideas 
  • students elaborated on ideas – fleshed out weak assertions
  • students backed up their opinions by returning to the text
  • students considered other classmates’ perspectives
  • students inferred character motives and future behaviors based on text evidence

I was reminded of the powerful student voices that emerged from the Stoneman Douglas High School massacre earlier this February; these students most definitely participated in discussions like the one featured on this podcast in their early years.  And, we absolutely want our students to be able to speak in multiple contexts – and to speak well. We must give them the opportunities to do just that.  Kudos to all working on this project – you are promoting and encouraging students to speak out.  Also, you are making administrators think about how to foster more of this best practice.

Some very good stuff in this research article about how talk facilitates learning.. “Oral language is the foundation of literacy, and as such it requires focused attention in planning”.  While some of the article gets down “in the weeds” about oracy, some great examples of what teachers do when they use the “think, pair, share” technique.  The authors remind all of us of the need for our students to give me more than one word answers. We need to promote meaningful student talk – that will promote deeper learning.

Do take a few minutes to listen to this group of our fifth graders defend and assert and change their opinions as they interact with other – great stuff here.  This is what learning sounds like!

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