One 4th grade Louisiana teacher is helping her students learn to read and prepare for college at the same time. That’s because she’s apparently decided to have them read colleges’ informational materials. According to an article by Anthony Rebora in Education Week:
They say that authentic literacy assignments can help prepare students for college. But Tobie Lynn Trachina, a 4th grade English-language learners teacher in suburban New Orleans, is taking the concept to a new level by having her students actually read and analyze college and university informational materials. As part of the project, the students have to write an essay comparing various aspects of three different schools and then, by means of a graphic organizer, choose which one they would attend.
Trachina apparently just called colleges across the country and asked them to send her promotion and application materials. The Savannah College of Art and Design sent a course catalog, as well as a T-shirt for every student in her class.
Attention math teacher: probably not a good idea to have students calculate how much college is projected to cost by 2019.
