Classroom+Ideas

I: Using Process Drama to Read Critically Occurs when students use their past experiences while "acting out" scenerios in order to problem solve to construct new meanings. Rather than simply acting out the scenes or parts of a story, Vasquez talks about exposing children to a particular problem or scenerio and having them act out what they feel like they would or could do in that situation. Therefore, students would be putting themselves in in the same shoes as the characters in the story while acting out as they would do as if the situation was occuring in real life. II: Six Sessions for Working With a "Social Issues" Picture Book
 * Session 1: Read-aloud
 * Session 2: Picture walk
 * Session 3: Small-Group Conversations
 * Session 4: Whole-Group Meeting
 * Session 5: Choose an illustration
 * Session 6: Notebook writing

III. Using "Teachable Moments" to Find Ways of Questioning Policy Issues
 * Write persuasive letters to authority figures (school principal, school board member, governor, etc...)