Tips on How to Teach with The Change Agent

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General Strategies for using The Change Agent to Teach Online.

This webinar excerpt is a lightning talk from part 12 of the EdTech Center’s Distance Ed Strategy Session series recorded on June 26th, 2020. Riva Pearson, from JVS Hyde Park ESOL Program, shared remote reading instructional strategies for using articles for The Change Agent, a biannual magazine of student writing published by the New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) at World Education.
Reading Find the Main Idea.

Uses an article from the “Hair” issue (#46) by a young man from Nicaragua who leaves his mother behind when he comes to the U.S. and promises not to cut his hair until he sees her again. The activity drills down on the mechanics of finding the main idea, but we also talk about how powerful and moving student writing can provide scaffolding to literacy experiences that students might not otherwise be drawn to, and these experiences can build trust and community in the classroom.
Reading Using Text Elements to Build Comprehension. From the “Career Pathways” issue (#45).
Reading Using Graphic Organizers. From the “Transportation” issue (#43).
Reading Citing Evidence from the Text + Grammar + Other CCRS-Aligned Activities. From the “Celebrating Freedom on Juneteenth” article in the “Celebrations” issue (#41).
Writing Learning to Write by Studying a Writer. From “Prisons and Justice?” issue (#40).
Reading Evidence-based and Explicit Reading Instruction (with reading specialist, Carey Reid). From the “All About Food” issue (#39).
Math Integrating Math and ELA Content with a focus on CCRS connections and two articles: “Using Math to Start a Poultry Farm” and “Representation Matters: Black Women and Girls in Math.” From the “Our Math Stories” issue (#47).
General Using Google Slides to Teach from the Mental Health Issue (#52).

Need resources for the remote classroom? Check out this new feature of The Change Agent: our articles adapted for Google slides! This 8-minute video describes how you can use four slideshows from the “Mental Health” issue as-is or adapt them to fit the needs of your students.
Research Use Our Mental Heath Issue to Teach Students to Investigate Scientific Claims.

Investigate the science behind the claims! In our mental health issue, there are 10 articles (on pp. 46-56) where writers share strategies that support their mental health. Each article also includes a box discussing the science behind the claim and pointing readers to a source for more information. This 8-minute video describes how you can use these stories — both for the powerful message the writer is sharing and as a way to investigate the science behind mental wellness.
Digital Literacy Using the Comment Section of Articles to Teach Digital Literacy Skills.

Looking for an interactive way to use The Change Agent’s online content? Try our “Leave a Reply” described in this 6-minute how-to video.