Skills Before Screens | October Teacher Spotlight

Congratulations to Ms. Lizardo, Granville County Public Schools' October Skills Before Screens Teacher Spotlight! Ms. Lizardo, a 12th-grade ELA teacher at South Granville High School, was recognized for using Seminar Discussions to bring learning to life in her senior inclusion ELA classroom.

During this lesson she was joined by Dr. Mary Warehime who shared her knowledge and helped facilitate our featured strategy - Seminar Discussions.  The lesson focused on Sections 11–14 of Beowulf in my senior inclusion ELA class, using the seminar strategy to encourage students to actively participate, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. One of the most successful parts of the lesson was seeing students take an active role in the seminar. They listened to their classmates, shared their own interpretations, and learned from different points of view. All students participated and took notes on important ideas discussed during the session.

Overall, the seminar strategy helped create a student-centered learning environment where students could think critically, communicate their ideas, and engage meaningfully with the text. The class was successful because students were actively involved in the learning process, and the discussion allowed them to deepen their understanding of Beowulf while practicing skills that are essential for reading comprehension and argumentative writing.

This is a great example of putting skills before screens and creating opportunities for students to take an active role in their learning. Congratulations, Ms. Lizardo!