Kelli Thornhill

One of the tasks included in my Curriculum in Middle and High School course was to create two mini-lessons and teach them to a small class. I centered my lessons on the bystander effect that occurred during WWII. After completing and teaching these lessons, I created a mini-DAR that describes, analyzes, and reflects on those experiences. The mini-DAR is linked here.

Although I was unable to attend the on-campus events centering around the Education Department's common read, Girl Rising , by Tanya Lee Stone, I was able to view the linked recording of the author talk. I was very excited to delve deeper into the reasoning behind the writing, and I was curious about how Stone went about picking and choosing between all these incredible stories of survival. In the very beginning of her talk, she noted that there were so many more girls who shared stories that were unable to be included into the book. She went along to remind everyone that it truly is a global issue, and these girls are only snapshots into the broken environment that girls overcome every single day. Something that struck me while listening, and something that really made me think for a long time afterwards, was Stone's viewpoints on the parents. She stated that, "It is hard to judge a parents decision" because the reader or viewer can never assume that they know...

Creating a Concept Cube: A Method of Learning Vocabulary When I was assigned with the task of creating a vocabulary lesson plan for my unit, I knew I wanted something interactive. Leaning the definition of a word does not ensure complete understanding. By getting a better grasp of all the different parts, such as the parts of speech, uses in a sentence, antonyms, examples, and key concepts, students are equipped with the knowledge they need to retrieve the word and use it correctly in the future whatever format it requires. In this lesson, I chose to use the word "ghetto". I chose this word because it is specialized and can often carry different meanings based on what time period it is referenced in. Since my unit is based primarily around the book Night , by Elie Wiesel, I wanted students to understand that the word ghetto referred to Jewish quarters during the Holocaust. Then came the next challenge: how do I communicate all of these concepts in 15 minutes or ...

As part of our first assignment in Curriculum, I was tasked with creating a visual representation of my curriculum orientation, and how that orientation will influence the way I teach in the future. As I researched further into the different types of curriculum orientations, I came to the conclusion that I identify most closely with humanism, or the belief that learning should be student centered so students can be self-motivated to reach their own potential. Likewise, in Literacy, I was tasked with defining literacy in the digital age, and how the ever changing technological environment will shape how I incorporate literacy skills in my english content area. The links to these assignments can be found below:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PJIm6xHasdqsADZGCLrgkJRjrzYIfh-2lt71ASpxpgA/edit?usp=sharing https://spark.adobe.com/page/1fdIoNbPMJoHA/ The mission statement pillars that most closely correlate with the tasks defined above are: " Our graduates are creati...

Student voice and choice has never been more visible than it has been in the past few months. Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, there has been an incredible outcry for change by student leaders like Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Sam Zeif, Julia Cordover, and many others. Their activism was sparked by a tragic event, but nevertheless, it was, and still is, an example of students making their own choice to speak out on issues that they are passionate about, and boy are they making a difference. It may seem like these magic students are rare; like they have been hidden behind school doors until forced to speak out. But take a closer look at your classroom, and you'll find a whole room full of magic students, whose voices are loud and clear, who have passions for things they believe in, and have the power to leave the world a better place then they found it. So how do we encourage all of our students to recognize their power? We star...

"Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love (with a girl), but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book" -John Green It's easy to get caught up in the everyday stress of life, especially in college. In high school, I devoured a book every two days; you couldn't drag me away from them. Now, I spend most of my time with my nose in a textbook, and I've lost that feeling of attachment for YA novels. Eleanor & Park reminded me of what being invested in a characters experience felt like. I found myself unable to put it down. Rainbow Rowell expertly crafted a novel that captures what it is like to be young, vulnerable, and captivated by another person.  Eleanor and Park as characters display many of the developmental growth patterns present in the adolescent brain. For example, they both look to peers more than adults for guidance and approval. Park initially fears social retribution if he is cau...