8th Grade English-Literature Groups

I spent some time in Ms. Kieffer's 8th grade English class this morning. The students were working on their literature groups, and I was very impressed by the high levels of academic language being used. Students were grouped in clusters of four, and in keeping with the tenets of successful cooperative learning activities, each student had a specific task: word finder, passage reader, discussion facilitator, etc. As the teacher circulated around the room engaging students in questions, students discussed their interpretations of quotations, the author's use of imagery, and how they would have modified the ending. Still others worked on creating Powerpoint presentations related to their books. I am looking forward to seeing the presentations that grow out of this invaluable collaborative work. This activity in Ms. Kieffer's class is a stellar example of the high-quality instruction taking place at AEACMS. I invite everyone to come visit our campus and our classrooms.