Canterbury Tales

We just finished reading The Canterbury Tales by Geoffery Chaucer.  Ok,  I should clarify, we finished reading the "Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales.  

Afterwards, I used this idea to generate a great learning experience.

We discussed, as a class, the possibility of our class going on our own journey to New York City.  Then we made a collective list of the people who would join us on this trip.

The assignment was this - the students choose one of the characters from our list and had to describe that character, as Chaucer did, in poetic form, preferably in rhyme, 15-20 lines.  They also were required to draw their character.

This is hard to see, but it's a great sample.

Why We Won't...

After losing 3 former students this past year to drug overdose, my concern for teaching my sophomore students to refuse to do drugs raised above normal limits.  I began dreaming about possible solutions.  I had a dream in which I lead my students in a Louis Mangione-style learning experience.  When I woke up, I immediately wrote it down and waited for the perfect time to try it in my health classes.

I arranged my classroom, by moving all the desks from the center of the room, and made a tape line down the center of the room.  I had my students stand around the room, and their job was to walk to the line if, as I called out different scenarios, it was true for them.  So I called out, "Have you ever been to a party where drugs or alcohol was offered?"  Those students that have found this to be true to them walked to the line.  Next I asked, "Do you know anyone who does drugs or may have a drinking problem?"  Followed by, "Have you ever lost a relationship due to drugs/alcohol?" (Once we got to this point, things got a lot more serious in the classroom.) I then asked, "Have you had a family member die due to any drug/alcohol related issue?"  "Have you ever had a friend or someone you know personally die due to any drug/alcohol related issue?" And finally, "Have you ever seen drugs or alcohol ruin others' lives?"  (By this time, the room is silent.  Surprisingly, too many of my 15-16 year old students have seen the destructive nature of drugs and alcohol.)

The most important moment was when the students wrote down their personal reasons why they will NOT do drugs or alcohol (until they are at least at legal age).  I read so many incredible stories and experiences. 

After all of the work we had done for weeks in class learning about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol, this activity was the poignant moment where my students connected their personal experiences with what we've been learning. 

All of this for me was in loving memory of Tracy Jones, Josh Shepherd, and George Patterson.  I miss each of you.

***I gave my students immunity that day - anything they shared was never going to be used against them.