So many projects, so little time. Seriously, it’s obviously not a good idea for a teacher to attempt every one of these projects in a single course. Can you imagine the backlash from students if someone tried that??? I did think there were several great ideas for culmination assignments in these two chapters—ones that do a great job of getting students to write and show their knowledge in the process. Some are more time consuming and difficult (hence they came under the chapter entitled “More Ambitious Public Writing Projects”) but I think those could possibly be modified to a smaller scale.
I asked y’all to read over the different projects and either actually try out one with your students or choose one you think could work well with a class if you’re not a point to where such an assignment would work well right now. Last year in class we talked about the multi-genre paper. I know Christy has used that one with her students. Has anyone else tried it? How did it go? The problem I had when I did it with my students was that I was out on maternity leave, so they didn’t have a ton of guidance on exactly how to do it. They seemed to enjoy the project, but several of them put it all in a Power Point, which wasn’t exactly what needed to be done. It would have been helped to have some examples for the students to see. I’m thinking about getting that Melinda Putz book mentioned since it comes with a DVD showing examples, and maybe I could get some more ideas for the project as well. So…which of these projects do you think would lend itself well to instruction in your class? If you’ve tried using it, how did it go? If it’s something you’re planning on using, what’s your plan for that?
I asked y’all to read over the different projects and either actually try out one with your students or choose one you think could work well with a class if you’re not a point to where such an assignment would work well right now. Last year in class we talked about the multi-genre paper. I know Christy has used that one with her students. Has anyone else tried it? How did it go? The problem I had when I did it with my students was that I was out on maternity leave, so they didn’t have a ton of guidance on exactly how to do it. They seemed to enjoy the project, but several of them put it all in a Power Point, which wasn’t exactly what needed to be done. It would have been helped to have some examples for the students to see. I’m thinking about getting that Melinda Putz book mentioned since it comes with a DVD showing examples, and maybe I could get some more ideas for the project as well. So…which of these projects do you think would lend itself well to instruction in your class? If you’ve tried using it, how did it go? If it’s something you’re planning on using, what’s your plan for that?
7 comments:
I will have to admit, at first glance I was a little overwhelmed with just the idea of trying these projects in my classroom. As I read the chapter it became apparent that some of these projects were not for Academic Support class but a couple of them could work. Of course as with most assignments, I would have to modify and adjust in order for them to work.
The Brochure is the first of the projects that really stood out as a possibility – maybe it is because in 7th grade I had to make a brochure on the Roaring 20’s and absolutely loved what I created! The Newspaper Front Page could also work well in my class. I think both of these projects could easily be incorporated into the novel we read as a class. These projects could be the summative end to all of the discussions and related activites we would do throughout the book. I could have students do the front page of the newspaper as if they were covering the news in the location of the book – news stories about the different characters and different things they have to deal with. So many of my students enjoy drawing, coloring, and doodling these projects can be a fun way to learn the information my students have gained throughout a novel. Another plus is the multiple short writing parts as opposed to one long writing assignment. I am getting excited just thinking about it!
Blog 12
Content Area Writing Chapters Seven and Nine
“So many projects” is right! My students have just finished their STD projects and I actually offered pamphlets (sorta like a brochure in my opinion) as a project option before I read these chapters. I’m looking forward to seeing how many students chose that format for their projects.
I love the RAFT format for writing assignments and plan on using it when we talk about tobacco use, especially now that the SC Supreme Court has ruled that the local governments in individual cities, towns, and communities can deem public areas non-smoking. I may also be able to use the social action paper as a more ambitious writing project in regards to tobacco use, just not this year. I am also planning on having my students work on end-of-the-year projects so they can research topics that came up throughout the year that they want to learn more about. I think the I-search paper and the multi-genre paper might work well for this, assuming I can get it all together.
Blog Entry #12 – Content Area Writing: Chapters 7 and 9
I agree with Diane’s comment about “so many projects, so little time.” One of the issues I have with projects in Academic Support is that “my work” often has to take a backseat to helping students with work for their other classes. I don’t have a problem with that, but it does cause a management problem. I’m still trying to find the balance, so I don’t think one of the bigger projects is good for my class.
The one assignment that I think would work well in my class would be the RAFT writing assignment. Since my students read thirty minutes daily, they have an abundance of books they have completed during the year. They could easily take on the role of a book critic, and the audience could be future students that I’ll teach. The format could be their choice, and the list on page 207 is absolutely fabulous. Their topic is to recommend a great book to read during Independent Reading time. This also makes a great bulletin board for the beginning of next year.
On another note, I really liked the Six Word Memoir activity we did during class on April 1, no fooling! My sophomores have memoirs they are going to finish soon, so condensing their final draft to six words will be cool. My seniors can write one for their high school careers. I came up with one to model for my seniors, “Learned lots, had fun, moving on!”
I liked the ‘faction’ strategy. I must admit that at this point in the year squeezing another project in before the EOC testing really is a daunting task. However, with my students the stories that I tell them about the characters in history that they are learning about would lend themselves well to this strategy and allow for creativity in their thinking and the marriage between the history they learned and the writing strategies that they employ for the project. It sort of reminds me of the DBQ questions that are on the EOC which would also provide additional opportunities for students to practice this type of question.
I also have used the multigenre projects and they are well-received by the students. It allowed them to draw on what they knew rather than grading them w/ penalties about what they didn’t know. It really did give them an outlet to actually chose how to showcase their learning. With all that is going on as of late I also think a social action paper would be a great way for the students to voice opinions on the War in Iraq or even in our very own school district…aren’t our students supposed to be prepared to be active citizens within their social studies classrooms-not just writing about it in English.
I think the brochure project would be the best one for the kids I work with. It is something I think that although might be a bit of a stretch... is something that they probably could do. It is hard for me to look at a lot of these strategies and projects and think about how exactly they would work, but knowing that for the most part the kids I work with will not be able to do them because it takes much more cognitive ability than what they possess.
Content Area Writing- Chapters 7 and 9
AMEN! So many projects- But I am always on the look out for good alternate assessments! Students today love the opportunity to be creative and I prefer they do the work rather than me making out yet another test! I like the idea of the pamphlet and the newspaper headline. I actually have done both in the past with good results but have not tried them recently. What I like about this book are the warnings about what can do wrong. This gives me a chance to reflect more on the assignment before actually assigning to my students. I definitely do NOT have time to do one of these major projects right but will look toward next year. I would like to work with the English teacher on my team a little closer for a major project like this!
While going over WWI and WWII I discussed what propaganda is and how governments use this tool to get people to go along with their goals, even if their goals include going to war with half the world or eliminating a group of people because of who they are. I wanted the kids to come up with a brochure, using the tools of propaganda, decribing why transfats should be continued to be used in cooking and baking or whether transfats should be outlawed or banned. I would have loved to have seen what the kids would have come up with because of the discussion we had on Hitler and the Nazi's answers to the "Jewish Problem".
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