Evaluate the Strategy for Use in Your Own Classroom

Discuss with your colleagues the challenges and benefits of using this session's strategy with your students or reflect on them in your journal.

1. There may be a tendency to oversimplify requirements and expectations for students when using the strategies included in this session. It may also be challenging to keep students focused on a difficult text within the documents when they are writing songs, making brochures, etc. As students participate in these activities, how will you keep document analysis and not the final product as the purpose of the lesson?
2. "Translating" documents for students might be a more expeditious method for helping them gain a basic understanding of each document. What do you feel are the advantages of encouraging students to analyze and interpret documents for themselves?