Unit Reflection 5
Although unit 5 was our shortest unit to date and it only consisted of two readings, it introduced a lot of activities that could be used within the classroom. Basically the two readings we were assigned focused on activities and lessons that would eventually lead students into creating formal pieces of writing. I found this unit to be valuable because it can be hard sometimes to find ways for students to become good writers. These chapters showed exercises and assignments that break down the writing process and make it easier for students to eventually get the hang of formal writing.
Within the first reading, chapter 3 of Create, Compose, Connect! by Jeremy Hyler and Troy Hicks, Hyler gave his students the task of writing narratives and short memoirs as a preface into formal writing. For the narrative activity, he had his students create a list of beliefs that they had. These beliefs consisted of having a cellphone, God and even family. With these beliefs, students would then choose one belief to base their narrative on. With their ideas in mind, the students then took the time in class to listen and read along to a set of "this I believe," narratives to get an idea of how their essay should be formatted as well as get an idea of the content. After they did that, they started drafting, peer editing, and finally finishing their personal narrative based around their personal belief. I really loved this assignment because the students got into writing about something that they feel strongly about. From personal experience, I found that I tend to write better whenever I am interested in the topic I am writing about. To get a hang of organizing and creating a piece of work, I believe this assignment was a great lead in to formal writing because the steps and process are identical.
After the students created their narratives, they were given the assignment of creating six word memoirs as well as 138 character memoirs. Six word memoirs, in my opinion, are a great starting point in creating an idea for a longer piece of work. By simply saying a six word phrase about something you are interested in, whether it be positive or negative, such as "volleyball is my favorite sport ever," it gives a starting point to build off of. Whenever the students finished their six word memoirs, the class moved on to 138 character memoirs. This gave the students the opportunity to add onto their six word memoirs as well as keep them short and to the point. I liked this assignment a lot because when writing a paper, it is important to keep the same idea throughout the paper while also getting to the point with the least amount of words possible. I believe this assignment taught the students to do just that and I also believe that this assignment aided the students whenever they began writing lengthy argumentative papers.
Within the first reading, chapter 3 of Create, Compose, Connect! by Jeremy Hyler and Troy Hicks, Hyler gave his students the task of writing narratives and short memoirs as a preface into formal writing. For the narrative activity, he had his students create a list of beliefs that they had. These beliefs consisted of having a cellphone, God and even family. With these beliefs, students would then choose one belief to base their narrative on. With their ideas in mind, the students then took the time in class to listen and read along to a set of "this I believe," narratives to get an idea of how their essay should be formatted as well as get an idea of the content. After they did that, they started drafting, peer editing, and finally finishing their personal narrative based around their personal belief. I really loved this assignment because the students got into writing about something that they feel strongly about. From personal experience, I found that I tend to write better whenever I am interested in the topic I am writing about. To get a hang of organizing and creating a piece of work, I believe this assignment was a great lead in to formal writing because the steps and process are identical.
After the students created their narratives, they were given the assignment of creating six word memoirs as well as 138 character memoirs. Six word memoirs, in my opinion, are a great starting point in creating an idea for a longer piece of work. By simply saying a six word phrase about something you are interested in, whether it be positive or negative, such as "volleyball is my favorite sport ever," it gives a starting point to build off of. Whenever the students finished their six word memoirs, the class moved on to 138 character memoirs. This gave the students the opportunity to add onto their six word memoirs as well as keep them short and to the point. I liked this assignment a lot because when writing a paper, it is important to keep the same idea throughout the paper while also getting to the point with the least amount of words possible. I believe this assignment taught the students to do just that and I also believe that this assignment aided the students whenever they began writing lengthy argumentative papers.
Chapter two in Teaching Literacy in the Digital World by Mark Gura focused on turning writing into pictures, sounds and videos. Within this chapter, the students were assigned the task of creating a short story that they would eventually turn in to video. By using the free and easily accessible online video creator, Animoto, the students created live versions of their short stories and brought them to life. I really loved this assignment because it was easy and gave students the chance to be creative. I will always be a big fan of assignments where students are given the chance to be creative in their own unique way because it caters to all students' strong suits. For example, students who are good at writing, can create a strong story line and students who are tech-savvy can create a great video. There is immense value in turning writing into a video because communicating with pictures and sounds is just as affective and valuable as communicating with words. Being able to take words and turn them into pictures and sound shows that you have truly understood and comprehended the text. Assignments where students are set loose and able to create a piece of work with very few guidelines gives students a chance to excel. The students will probably have more fun doing this assignment rather than writing a paper. Also, they will most likely be more engaged and will be able to portray and explore the deeper, overall meaning within their own stories.
These readings have taught me that it is extremely important break down the process when teaching students how to write. By breaking the process into steps as well as doing the narrative, memoir and police report assignments, it will ensure that students will understand how to organize and focus on one central idea. The readings have also taught me that it is crucial to let students be creative in their own way. In order for students who's strong suits are more on the creative side, it is important to give an array of different assignments so that those students have a chance to shine in their own way.
Comments
Post a Comment