Today in class we used a graphic organizer strategy called “rock around the clock” to take notes for our new section over reconstruction in Arkansas. This organizer can be seen above and features several boxes in which students record information. They are asked to identify the main idea, key terms, important points, ah-ha moments, and any questions. The idea behind this organizer is for students to move past the decoding of text and actually read the text for meaning.

With today being the first time I have tried to use this organizer in class, I wanted to receive feedback from my students on what they thought of it. The picture above shows four charts that were taken from my history classes. Students were asked to compare the organizer to the notes we normally take in class…and criteria was focused on how much they enjoyed it (vertical axis) and how much they learned (horizontal axis) when compared to the other style of notes.

Mr. McClung