The Bastardization of Standardization

Author: Jerry V.

Purpose/Objective:

For this design, I’m proposing we take a step away from the rough and intimidating world that is standardized testing and take a moment to appreciate how flexible writing can be outside the realms of what the standard is inside a Jr. High or High school classroom. As teachers we should be able to inspire students to want to learn more and explore certain areas of education they find interesting. Of course, following the path set for examination is important because without it the education system would lack direction. What if we were to take a day, once a week, as ELA teachers, to offer students a chance to try something new in writing? A moment to teach them that writing can be so much more than just answering the question thrust upon them on the exam. In summary, the purpose of this assignment or curriculum is to educate students on the different kinds of styles in the world of writing.

Audience: Teachers

Level: 6^th – 12^th grade

Assignment/Curriculum:

Every Friday we could take the time to explore a specific form of writing. Something that lets students express themselves in a way that feels comfortable to them. The idea is to use the entire class time every Friday to delve further into the world of writing and grant students the knowledge they need to pursue different platforms for expressing themselves in how they write.

A few examples:

Poetry – With the use of rhythm and certain patterns in their writing, students can express themselves without the worry of having to write a lot to get their message across.

Short Stories – These can be fiction or non-fiction, but can help students create a scene for the world they want to engage the reader in.

Playwriting/Screenwriting – This form could be used by students who want to focus more on conversations between characters over describing scenes in closer detail.

Songs – By using everyday scenarios, students can craft lyrics that reflect how they view or interact with the world around them.

Diary/Journal – It can also be something as simple as keeping a daily journal where students can write down whatever they want about daily occurrences.

There are lots of different methods of writing that can be tailored to fit the preference of each student. The examples listed above are just a few, general ideas for what could be explored. To touch more on these forms, we would have to sit down and pick specific types to discuss in class that might spike a student’s interest. Furthermore, with time and inclination, Teachers can also offer extracurricular programs that focus more on these types of writing for students who are keen on learning more. With something so simple that would only take one day a week, students can expand their understanding of what the possibilities in writing can be and might even choose, in the future, to pursue a career in English.

Sell Me This Index Card

Speed Persuasion

Author: Eileen E.

Purpose: Students will use their communication skills to persuade their classmates to change their minds about various topics. The lesson aims to teach students how to begin their argument and gain knowledge to effectively do one-on-one discussions using persuasive techniques.

Audience: 8th-10th grade

Materials: Index cards (one for each student) with at least two topics to choose from. Evaluation sheet.

Summary: Three approaches.

1) Distribute cards instructing students to try to persuade their classmate next to them to agree with their opinion about the topic and vice versa.

2) Split the class into two groups A and B, set up desks/chairs to be spaced evenly to allow easier movement. Group A will be tasked to sit with a student from group B and have one minute to get the student to agree or change their stance about the topic on the index card. Once minute is up have students in group B rotate to next student in group A until circle is complete. Switch roles of group so that group B is now the traveling persuaders.

3) Have students prepare a persuasive speech to be given in the next 2-3 days on a topic of their choice. Set a minimum/maximum time for speech with teacher and students evaluating effectiveness of speech on sheet of paper/evaluating sheet.

Works Cited

"Speed Persuading Lesson Plan." Teacher.org/lesson-plan/speed-persuading.

Child's Play

Author: Savannah L.

Create Your Own Children’s Book

Objective: Students can pair up in groups no larger than 3 to create their own children’s book inspired by one of the readings they have read in class (ex. A Doll’s House, Grendel, Frankenstein). The book should at least be 10 pages long and include pictures, drawn or pasted is fine long as it is appropriate and related to the story, and a cover with the title and authors names. The point of this assignment is to see how well you can interpret the reading into another source.

Remember:

·      Do not dumb it down—think like a storyteller and not something simple to pass up because it is a children’s book, this is supposed to be a story similar to the book you chose to base it on, so it should hold elements that are the same while being its own story.

·      Do not try to make everything rhyme. Just because it is a children’s book does not mean it needs to be simplified to make it understandable. Sometimes adding a rhyme scheme for no reason does not equate to it being easier to do. However, if you are able to create a nice rhyming flow you feel elevates your tale and gives it more power than go for it!

·      Make it fresh and original. While the main point is to have the story be similar to the reading you chose, that does not mean you make it exactly the same, be creative and try to make up your own way of creating your own story while still keeping the message across.

The audience/level for this assignment is generally for high school students to do in their English class that has any assigned readings. They are supposed to create a book that is aimed at young children while also bringing elements of the reading they did into their own story but still making it their own original work. I did an assignment similar back in high school with the book A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, where a friend and I created a children’s version of the story by making it into a fable and presenting it to a class.

credit: idea came from an assignment similar to one assigned to me back in high school. 

Simon Says

Author: Damaris C.

Unit/Theme: Novel Assessment Review

Standard: Fiction/Media Literacy             
Audience/Grade Level: This exercise is adequate for a 9^th Grade AP English class. The book Lord of the Flies is frequently used at this grade level. 

Purpose/Objective(s):

Content Objective(s):	Language Objective (s):
Analyze elements of fiction Summarize text Differentiate between ideas supported and not Make inferences and conclusions Make connections between ideas Analyze author’s purpose Analyze media messages Evaluate tone, audience, and purpose Develop a thesis supported with relevant evidence	Read and discuss assigned passage Write in narrative plan Discuss author’s purpose Discuss visuals and write SOAPS sentence Write open-ended response

Partner up with a classmate and read aloud the following passage:

“Simon, walking in front of Ralph, felt a flicker of incredulity--a beast with claws that scratched, that sat on a mountain-top, that left no tracks and yet was not fast enough to catch Sam n’ Eric. However, Simon thought of the beast, there rose before his inward sight the picture of a human at once heroic and sick.”

Based on this excerpt from chapter 6 you can infer that he has a different perception that is deeply seated with in his own personal fears. Golding chose to make Simon’s perception of the beast differ from how the other boys picture it, discuss with your group why you think he chose to do that. Why do you believe that fear influences Simon differently than the rest of the boys? What point is Golding making about the nature of humans when it comes to fear? Discuss with your partner and write your response on a separate sheet of paper.

Sound Smart in Front of Your Friends (Or Make Them Hate You)

Author: Areli G.

Purpose/Objective: By using the context clues found in the sentences provided, the students will be able to match the vocabulary underlined in the sentences, to the definitions.

Audience/Grade Level: This assignment can most likely be used for most grade levels, but in this case, the end of middle school to the beginning of high school will be the targeted audience. The vocabulary that I chose is from the website https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/79298

Sentences

1)    “I am so miserable, there are so many questions, I can see no way out and am so wretched and feeble that I could lie forever on the sofa and keep opening and closing my eyes without knowing the difference.”
― Franz Kafka (Author), Letters to Felice‎

2)    “Let me tell you a little something about love, Dennis. It has a voracious appetite. It eats everything. Friendship. Family. It kills me how much it eats. But I'll tell you something else. You feed it right, and it can be a beautiful thing, and that's what we have.”

― Arnie Cunningham (Character), Christine (1983)

3)    “And if I sometimes hear nothing for hours on end it is for reasons of which I know nothing, or because about me all goes really silent, from time to time, whereas for the righteous the tumult of the world never stops.”
― Samuel Beckett (Author), Molloy

Definitions

-                                                    -    A state of commotion and noise and confusion

-                                                    -    Devouring or craving food in great quantities

-                                                    -    Deserving or inciting pity