Tips for Teachers

Cover by Felicia Lankford| VOX Staff

Hey Teachers,

As Tri-Cities seniors Cedric Smith and Lauren McEwan write, “Before we learned how to tie our shoes, we were pasting together turkeys made of construction paper and candy corn, singing Pilgrim songs, and having it pressed into our minds that this was the time of year for thankfulness and generosity.” In the spirit of Thanksgiving and this month’s theme, THANK YOU for supporting VOX at your school! We’d love to get your students’ voices in our next paper, and there are plenty of opportunities with this issue!

SUBMISSIONS
Please send any exceptional writing resulting from “Tips for Teachers” to VOX, 229 Peachtree St., Ste. 725, Atlanta, GA 30303 or at vox@VoxRox.org for potential publication in the newspaper. Please write Tips for Teacher on the envelope or subject line. And include the student’s name, age, school and contact information (including e-mail address) for verification.

Targeted Skills are in bold above each tip.

Letter Writing
Have your students each find a story that stands out to them in this issue and craft a letter to the author with their thoughts. Send the letters to VOX, and we’ll publish the best ones in the next issue! We always welcome class sets.

Poetry Writing
Every issue of VOX offers readers a chance to showcase their original poetry or art on “The Wall” (p. 18) Have your students write a poem — it can be about anything — and submit it to VOX. Again, we publish the best poems every month.

Persuasive essay writing
From freeing Genarlow Wilson to free speech in schools, it’s been a busy few weeks in teen-related news. Have students write an Op-Ed piece on a story of their choosing in the Extra! Extra! section (p. 3).

Essay writing
In “All I Wanted for Christmas” (p. 4) Grady High sophomore Akure Imes writes, “I now think that the holidays have been turned into times to get the consumer to buy, buy, buy.” Ask your students to look past their wish lists and write about how their families make the season special (traditions, food, funny memories). As an extra challenge, encourage those who don’t celebrate Christmas to write about what it feels like when everything around them begins to “drown in red and green.” Do they feel left out? Are they annoyed? Do they use this as a teaching opportunity with their friends?

Research and analytical writing
In “I’ve Been There: My Homeless Story” (p. 5), Grady High senior Donte’ Harvey writes about his personal experience with homelessness. He writes, “... it’s as if the issue of homelessness is a secret scar America has kept tucked away somewhere.” Facilitate a group discussion and ask students what they think Donte’ is saying in this quote. Then ask them to write about their thoughts on homelessness. Since November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, have students research volunteer opportunities and/or brainstorm to help start a project at school (i.e., clothing or can food drive).

Research and writing
McNair High sophomore Aja Hall writes about how she identifies with cartoon characters in “The Way of an Anime Otaku” (p. 6). Ask your students to write about their favorite fictional characters (books, movies, TV) and how they relate to them. Alternately, they can write about what their favorite book is and why. As an extra challenge, have your students research the character’s creator or book’s author and write a biography on him/her.

Essay writing
In “Living the Unlived” (p. 7) and “Pappy’s Last Lesson” (p. 8), Cross Keys senior Machelle Tran and Tri-Cities senior Lauren Phillips write about their appreciation for life. Ask students to write about a time when they experienced a tough situation. How did that event affect their views on life? What did the do to get through the situation? What advice do they have from someone in a similar situation?

Interviewing, teamwork and essay writing
Riverdale High senior Yasmin Miller writes in “Loving the Lunacy” (p. 9), “The state of affairs in my household is in constant turmoil. There is always something in need of repair, mounds of laundry that need to be washed and a refrigerator that is never as full as one would like for it to be.” As a class, come up with a list of open-ended questions relating to their own family lives. (I.e. what are the best and worst things about their families? What are their personal roles? etc.) Then split students up in pairs and have them interview each other about their households. Have students write short stories based upon their findings, incorporating quotes from their interviews.

Analytical writing
“I Didn’t Know I was Falling” (p. 10) paints a different picture of foster care than many may expect. Before reading Octavia’s story, ask your students to jot down their ideas of foster care. Read the story as a class. Then have students write about which, if any, of their preconceptions have changed and why.

Journal and letter writing
In “Ode to the Cell Phone” (p. 12) and “Taking Things for Granted” (p. 11), Tri-Cities High students Lauren McEwen and Thinh Vu write about their newfound appreciation for everyday things. Ask students to write a daily journal entry about something they are grateful for from now until Thanksgiving or write a letter to a person they are grateful for and give it to them on Thanksgiving.

Research and persuasive writing
For many, the Baggy Pants proposal described by Banneker High sophomore Kenobia Newton in “Criminal Clothing” (p.17) is just another example of the government playing Big Brother. Ask your students to write about a law they agree or disagree with and why.

Research, public speaking and teamwork
Extra Challenge: Global warming is a controversial issue. Druid Hills High junior Vanja Pantic writes about why she believes in global warming. In her article “Turning Up the Heat” (p.16), she writes, “I believe global warming is real because it is evident that the environment is changing in ways that were previously unknown to us. These extreme changes cannot simply be put off as natural occurrences.” Ask students to research both views on global warming and write an argumentative essay on which side, if any, they agree with. Why or Why not? Students could also do an in-class debate about global warming.