This is not a site to find specific lesson plans. Instead, it is designed to give educators ideas to use in their curriculum. Dividing everything up into small parts and teaching in isolation is outdated and needs to be changed. The focus of my ideas will be to create possibilities for real world application that can spill over into areas other than English. Life is not an isolated experience but rather a meshing together of our knowledge and experiences. This site offers inspiration for teachers to glean ideas from. I have chosen the theme of cities, but you can adapt this way of thinking to any subject or class. Let’s begin!
I am going to document my thinking process for you. If I lose you, keep on reading because I am sure to find you again. I do not claim to have any scientific proof that my way of formulating ideas is better than any other. You can call this an experiment designed to let other people glimpse inside my brain. If you are already bored, just stop now because you most likely will be miserable if you continue.
My first thought was what theme to use. I have an amazing book called Word Menu by Random House. It lists words by categories and contains slang as well as dictionary words. I flipped through the pages and saw the term ‘asphalt jungle.’ This word interested me, and I read all the words in the same category of “Urban Structures and Phenomena.” Bingo! I was hooked. City life it is.
My next task was to brainstorm words associated with cities. My book helped, but it did not suffice. I searched the Internet for ‘city in literature,’ ‘urban words,’ and ‘lesson plans city.’ I have linked some of the sites I found for you. Check out the link page if you are interested. I came up with pages of words by just skimming web sites. I have listed some of the most obvious words in the list below.
Again, please understand that the ideas I present are a result of my free thinking about how to implement the real world in the classroom, but they are not complete or even feasible for everyone. Please add comments and ideas. We shouldn’t keep reinventing that wheel!
