This world is made of stories ... -Micheal Meade Subject/Lesson Title: Storytelling
Grade: 9th Short Term Learning Intentions/Objective(s) for This Lesson: 1. SWBAT view and listen to short stories, and asses what makes a good story based on the rubric. 2. SWBAT source and identify a short story they can adapt for performance. 3. SWBAT tell a short story, or portion of short story, in an engaging and fun way that meets the rubric. 4. SWBAT recognize story conventions in written and oral form. Academic Language Objectives: I can identify what makes a good story a good story. I can find a good story from the sources shared in class and articulate why that story is a good story and provides value for the greater good. I can successfully perform a short story or short piece in class using the rubric for “effective storytelling performance skills.” STORYTELLING AS PERFORMANCE AND CULTURAL ART FORM Instructional Sequence The following sequence is designed to help 9th grade students succeed at understanding what makes a good story a good story. This unit provides students with a comprehensive rubric which they will use to critique stories they will listen to and view. Based upon the resources provided students will choose a story to adapt for a final project of an in class performance. This assignment will help students understand the important cultural role of storytellers, and how storytelling is a great skill to have. This sequence will address the performative aspects of storytelling, as well as the content, and why a synthesis of these two things is imperative to crafting and telling a good story. The social justice objective of this sequence is to expose students to stories from multiple cultural backgrounds, and students must be able to articulate why this story has value for the greater good. Academic Language in this Sequence:
ASSIGNMENT: Storytelling as Performance for the enriching of culture For this final assignment students will choose a short story or a passage of a short story meets the criteria of being a good short story in terms of structure, word choice, and innovation, but also meets the class crowd sourced rubric for greater good. Students will participate in a variety of activities to experiment with the physicality of performance, from voice articulation to posture to annunciation, to use of space. Students will have access to a variety of written, oral, and visual media sources to experience storytelling. Students will have the opportunity to assess a variety of stories using the rubric provided. Students will then have to choose a story from the provided sources and articulate why or why not it fits the rubric of a well told story. The performance piece will be rated on the performance skills rubric. We will have several opportunities to practice in class before the final performance. Choose a story that is meaningful to you. However, you must be able to explain why this story or passage of a story is important to you, and how and why you think this story benefits the greater good. The final project consists of one story no more than five minutes long, and a reflective essay on why you chose the story you chose, why you think it makes a good story, and why you think this story benefits the greater good. This essay needs to be one-two pages, double-spaced, in size 11 font, Times New Roman. The margins should not be any larger than 1 inch. Please cite your story in MLA format on the second page. Activities: The activities included in this sequence vary from improv exercises, dialogue and discussion, filling out graphic organizers, reading and deciphering texts, performance, collaborative small group exercises, interfacing with various types of media and texts, and writing small passages. For this unit we will reference the following rubrics, which came to me via the website StoryArts.org. All activities listed throughout will reference these rubrics and outlines in varying ways and degrees. EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING COMPOSITION Basic Story Structure Story has a clear and engaging opening. Story's sequence of events is easy for the listener to follow. Story's ending has a sense of closure. Words Teller's choice of language is descriptive and articulate. If dialogue is employed, the teller's character text is clearly differentiated from the narrator's text so that the listener understands who is talking. Innovation Teller employs a unique or creative use of language, sound, or body language. Teller creatively presents the sequence of events. Teller's perception of the meaning of the story is artfully expressed or suggested through the telling. STORYTELLING COMPOSITIONAL SKILLS RUBRIC: Beginner , Intermediate, Proficient , Accomplished Story Structure, Words, Innovation STORYTELLING ESSAY RUBRIC Effective Storytelling Performance Skills When telling a story, an effective storyteller demonstrates the following traits observable by others: Voice Mechanics Speaks with an appropriate volume for the audience to hear. Employs clear enunciation. Uses non-monotonous, vocal expression to clarify the meaning of the text. Face/Body/Gesture Expressively uses non-verbal communication to clarify the meaning of the text. Focus Concentration is clear. Eye contact with audience is engaging. Maintains a charismatic presence in space (stage presence). Characterization If dialogue is employed, characters are believable to listener. Storyteller's natural voice is differentiated from character voices. Use of Space: Storyteller seems comfortable, relaxed and confident in front of listeners. Storyteller maintains clear spatial relationships for characters and narrator. Pacing/Timing: The story is presented efficiently and keeps listeners' interest throughout. Performance Skills Rubric Scale: Beginner, Intermediate, Proficient, Accomplished Skill:
Common Core Standards Referenced: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. ACTIVITIES SEQUENCE 1. Introduction to the Assignment The first day of class we will listen to two different stories. We will listen to the Raven story as it is told through the YouTube video. I will also read them the Raven and the Whale Story. I will then hand out the storytelling performance rubric, and review the terms. There will be a list of the academic language terms for this unit up on the white board; we will review one each class period. Students will work together to rate both the video and my rendition of the reading using the rubric. Explain that this is a way for me to assess their comprehension of storytelling. Hand out the assignment and review the rubric. Explain that each skill that will be needed to complete the assignment will be gone over in class. Collect the rubric they used to assess the stories for data. RAVEN AND THE WHALE In the very beginning of time, the Inuit people say, Raven made the world. Raven was both a god and a bird with a man inside. After Raven created everything, he decided to remain on the earth. He loved the people and the animals and he was curious about them all. Even though he had made the world, he did not know everything there was to know. Raven liked to paddle his kayak out into the sea. One day he saw a large whale and there was a faint glow of light coming from it. And he said to himself, “I wonder what it looks like inside that whale.” Raven waited until the whale yawned. When its mouth was wide open, he rowed right in. He tied his kayak to one of the whale's teeth and the mouth of the whale closed behind him. It was suddenly dark, and Raven heard and felt the deep ponderous beating of the whale’s heart. As he walked further into the belly of that whale the sound grew louder and there was a faint, flickering light coming from that direction. His feathery cape swirled behind him as he gingerly walked toward the light. The white bones of the whale's ribs rose up around him like great ivory arches. In the center of the whale's belly, Raven stopped and looked in astonishment. On the floor was a softly glowing lamp, and beside it a beautiful girl was dancing. The dancing flame made her face glow and Raven was enchanted. She had strings attached to her feet and hands stretching to the heart of the whale. Raven thought, "She is so beautiful. I would like to take her out of this whale and marry her." So he said to her, “I am Raven. I made the world. Will you come with me into the world and be my wife?” The maiden replied, "Raven, I cannot leave the whale. I am the heart and the soul of the whale. But if you want to stay here and keep me company, that would make me happy." Raven threw back his beak, revealing his human face. He tossed back his wings and sat with his hands on his knees, thinking about what she said. He watched the girl as she danced. When she danced quickly and rose up the whale soared through the water. When she danced slowly the whale floated calmly. Soon, the girl danced so slowly that she stopped moving and her eyes closed. Raven felt a cool wind from the world blow through the spout of the whale. He thought again of taking the girl with him into the world. He felt human desire. And, he forgot what she said. Raven pulled his beak back down over his face and covered his arms with his wings. He grabbed the girl. He heard the strings snap as he flew with her out of the whale up into the sky. As he flew, Raven heard the whale thrashing below in the ocean. He watched the whale's body as it was tossed by the waves onto the shore. The whale was dead and the girl in his arms grew smaller and smaller and then disappeared. He was overcome with great sorrow. He was so sad that he landed on the sand beside the body of the whale. For weeks he cried and cried. Raven’s tears were the first tears, and they were tears of grieving and tears of healing. Then Raven began to dance. He danced for weeks and weeks. His dances were the first dances and they were dances of grieving and dances of healing. Then Raven began to sing and he sang for weeks and weeks. His songs were the first songs and they were songs of grieving and songs of healing. And when he was finished Raven knew much more about the world. Then he flew back up into the sky. This folktale is based on an Inuit folktale, and I’ve followed several versions in creating this one. Raven stories exist throughout Alaska and the Northwest Coast. In 2001 the author and storyteller Laura Simms produced a version of this tale in STORIES THAT NOURISH THE HEARTS OF OUR CHILDREN, Holland-Knight Publication. An earlier version of the story is found in RAVEN: CREATOR OF THE WORLD, legends retold by Ronald Melzack, Little, Brown, and Co, Boston 1970. Ed Sheridan, 01/26/10 Rationale: Introduces the assignment and what the ultimate goal will be of the upcoming sequence of activities. It also “activates prior knowledge” by having them fill out the rubric “cold.” This will let me know if they are familiar with any of the academic language, and will show me how to focus the unit accordingly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 2. What is Storytelling? Students will brainstorm on the white board a web about storytelling, and what they think it is. We will look at the etymology of the word. We will discuss the differences between reading and telling a story. Teach a mini-lesson on performance skills and review the performance skills rubric. Students will consult the infographic from a copywriting website on what makes a good story a good story. Using the infographic students will re-visit the tale about Raven from the first day. We will address each of the areas from the infographic and determine whether the writer or teller achieved all the parameters in the infographic. We will examine these two definitions: “Story (n.1) "connected account or narration of some happening," c. 1200, originally "narrative of important events or celebrated persons of the past," from Old French estorie, estoire "story, chronicle, history," from Late Latin storia, shortened from Latin historia "history, account, tale, story" (see history).” -Etyonline “Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics, or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values.[1] Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot, characters and narrative point of view.” – Wikipedia Rationale: In order to meet the learning intentions, students must know how to decipher a story using the rubric. This helps teach them practical skills and critical thinking skills. By having the student look at the history of the word storytelling, it helps keep storytelling alive, as they realize that stories are something that anyone, anywhere can create. Students will better understand what makes a good story. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3 3. What makes a good story? Teach a mini-lesson on good stories vs. poor stories. For this activity we will watch the short film, Geri’s Game. Talk about what makes the story work even though there is virtually no talking. Identify characters, roles, setting, sounds, and plot or purpose of the film; we will do this as a whole class. Working in groups, students will re-imagine the film to make it silly or weird, and write a few sentences re-telling it. Working in groups, students will read out loud their short passage. We will then rate the small groups using the effective storytelling rubric. We will also assess one of the new stories using the following infographic. Each small group will then come up with what they think a good story is or isn’t. Rationale: By comparing and contrasting, students can understand themes and structures that help make a story effective or ineffective. By inserting an element of humor into the classroom, students can think outside the box. This activity also activates prior knowledge, and lets me assess where students’ thinking is about stories in general. This activity also encourages them to work collaboratively in small groups, and though they are asked to perform, it’s fairly low risk. This will them develop the confidence they will need for the final assignment when they perform on their own. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B 4. Who tells the story? Why are storytellers important? Teach a mini-lesson on narrator. For this activity we will review both versions of the Raven and Geri’s game, and decide who we think is telling the story. Read to them a story from the Arizona tales. Talk about why storytellers were important to communities across the globe. Have students come up with one storyteller they know of or have heard of. Based on the rubrics we’ve been working with, ask if they think anyone can be a storyteller? Have them work in pairs to fill out a graphic organizer on storytellers: they must come up with who can be a storyteller, what makes them a storyteller, and why storytellers are important. Explain the role of agency as it relates to the story. End the class by reading them another story from the Arizona book. Rationale: Students will deepen their collaboration skills, conversational skills, and their critical thinking skills in this activity. This lesson also supports my deeper social justice goals of exposing students to different types of stories. Students will fill out a graphic organizer which supports my need for in class evidence to make sure I stay on track with my learning intentions. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C 5. Brainstorm/Create Rubric: We will play a game about effective storytelling performance skills. Using the rubric for “effective storytelling performance skills,” I will pass out a strip of paper with each of the skills. The students will have been divided into small groups and each small group will have to see what they make of each of these skills. We will play a short improv game to warm them up for the main activity. We will re-look at the original rubric effective storytelling performance. I will pass out short passages from some short stories from The Robe of Love. Tell the students that they have to practice reading it well or poorly. Students will work together in groups using the performance rubric to assess what makes a high quality performance and a poor performance. We will do a post- assessment on how did this feel in your body, what did you notice, where did you feel it? I would like the students to come away with a felt experience, i.e. how does your voice sound when you say different words, given what those words mean? If you change your voice, does it change the meaning of the word? Rationale: This activity allows for student accountability and student voice. Since this unit will culminate with students performing their own story, having their own voice on how they would like to be assessed, may help them be intrinsically motivated. By adapting their speech to imitate high quality and poor performance, they will have embodied experience, and further deepen their understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 6. Explore technique: Story Structure Teach a mini-lesson on story structure. Explain to students why story structure is an important aspect of making a good story. Review the story structure rubric. Have them watch several of the storytelling videos, but change the story up by starting it in the middle or near the end. Talk about what is lost when the structure of the narration is lost. Review the story using these guidelines: 1. Story has a clear and engaging opening. . Story's sequence of events is easy for the listener to follow. 3. Story's ending has a sense of closure Rationale: Story structure is important to the flow and effectiveness of writing or telling a good story. Explaining the importance of grammar conventions to help create structure in a story is an important part of teaching good writing. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 Students need to understand how basic story structure works to create a piece of writing or story. Having them watch and read passages that have been altered to deleted a main part of the structure, i.e. the beginning of the story, helps reinforce the thoughtfulness that is needed in writing and getting good at story making, and teach them about the craft of writing. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4 7. Explore technique: Word Choice Provide students with a mini-lesson about the purpose of word choice and how word choice impacts a story. Have student compare different stories and swap out language that are synonyms and then read them out loud. Have student work together to determine which word fits better, and why. Teach them about synonyms and using sources to look up words. Explain how different words for the same experience evoke different feelings. Use these parameters for assessment: 1. Teller's choice of language is descriptive and articulate. 2. If dialogue is employed, the teller's character text is clearly differentiated from the narrator's text so that the listener understands who is talking. Word: “When she danced quickly and rose up the whale soared through the water.” Feeling/Emotion: The exhilarating feeling of being free Writer’s intent: By using the word soaring, the writer shows the graceful movements of the wild creature, and reinforce the outdoor setting. Setting/Place: The setting of this story takes place near the ocean up north. The imagery that soaring through the air conveys is one of birds, and thus, this word choice reinforces the outdoor nature of this setting. Rationale: Word choice is crucial in good writing. All writers are intentional about the words they use. Understanding why words are chosen for a particular piece of writing can also teach valuable lesson on social justice and other cultures. By showing the students how different word choices in the context of a short dense piece like a story or a poem, writers can convey different tone. Setting a tone is one way that a writer builds trust by eliciting emotion. This is also a chance to talk about domain specific language and how word choice within a context builds trust because the language is suited to the place or scene that is being described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 8. Explore technique: Innovation Explain to students the definition of innovation. Explain how a storyteller employs a unique or creative use of language, sound, or body language. One way of doing this in storytelling is a creative interpretation of the sequence of events. Explain how the teller’s perception of the meaning of the story can be artfully expressed or suggested through the telling. This is a good segue into a discussion or reflective writing on why the storyteller’s perspective matters, if it does. Provide several examples of the same story. Do an etymology lesson on the word innovation. We will read the blog article from TED Ed on innovation. https://blog.ed.ted.com/2017/09/28/5-creative-storytelling-projects-recommended-by-teachers-for-everyone/ In pre-assigned small groups, students will take one of the suggestions offered by the blog and make a group mind map of other ideas they can come up with. They are welcome to use the internet to source additional information. They will provide in school or community examples that show innovation, building off the parameters outlined in the TED Ed article. Rationale: This activates higher order thinking and pushes students to understand that there are many ways to innovate a story, even one that is considered traditional. Students will consider multiple voices, and begin to understand that innovation can happen simply, and anyone with an open mind can be innovative. Students will build community by working in small groups. Students deepen their critical thinking skills by searching for resources to support their ideas on innovation, and link that to storytelling. Students will interact with multiple types of texts, and enrich critical literacy skills. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.10 9. Voice Mechanics: Have students close their eyes and listen to Martin Shaw tell the Fox Woman Dreaming Story. Have them keep track of how or when his voice changes. Pass out several short passages and have them read them out loud in small groups, varying their voice on different words. I will pick out which words to emphasize beforehand. Have them watch a couple different videos of storytellers from The Moth- one being more subdued in voice, and one being more passionate. Explain how voice mechanics add or take away from the story. Voice mechanics will be understood from these parameters: Speaks with an appropriate volume for the audience to hear. Employs clear enunciation. Uses non-monotonous, vocal expression to clarify the meaning of the text. Rationale: Understanding voice mechanics are an important part of being a successful storyteller. Students will be able to compare and contrast effectiveness by altering the volume or style of their speaking. Being able to adapt their voice to fit the parameters we are concerned with helps them become more effective readers, writers, and interpreters of the English language. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 10. Face/Body/Gesture Provide students with a mini-lesson on face/body/gesture. Explain how storytellers expressively use non-verbal communication to clarify the meaning of the text. Watch a snippet of Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on body language. Have students practice different gestures to tell different part of a story that has been divided into small portions. Have a list of vocabulary pulled from the stories we’ve been working with and have them come up with a physical gesture to describe that word. Rationale: Being able to expressively communicate through the body, the face, and gestures, is an important part of successful storytelling. Students will be able to link their understanding of what different vocabulary means with how to express that vocabulary through gestures. This exercise will also help me assess their vocabulary comprehension. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 11. Focus Focus in performative storytelling will be defined as: concentration is clear, eye contact with the audience is engaging, and the storytelling maintains a charismatic presence in space, i.e. stage presence. Teach a mini-lesson on focus in storytelling. Watch videos from The Moth that exemplify good focus. Have students identify where they see the three areas of focus that they will be assessed at in the examples given in class. They will be able to assess what makes good focus, and what words and phrases need to be focuses on, and how emphasis of those makes for a better performance. We will analyze the visual performances to see if, where and when a storyteller loses focus, and why. Rationale: Focus in storytelling is important for engagement. This can also reinforce earlier understandings of how the form of the story, i.e. the structure of it, the timing of the story, and the word choice all help to make sure that focus can be maintained so the audience is engaged. Focus and form cannot be separated. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4 12. Characterization Provide a mini-lesson on characterization. For our purposes characterization will be understood from these parameters: If dialogue is employed, characters are believable to listener. Storyteller's natural voice is differentiated from character voices. We will read a story from the Laurence Yep book and discuss why or why not a character is believable. Students will role play different characters from the story, which will be pre-assigned. Students will reflect on what gestures, words, or feelings they had to evoke to play the character. Have them analyze the vocabulary Yep uses to describe different characters. Rationale: Characterization is the process whereby a writer or storyteller shows the reader a particular character, instead of telling them about it. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to become better writers and thereby, better storytellers. Understanding characterization is crucial to good writing. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 13. Use of Space/Spatial Awareness For this lesson students will practice telling a story from different places in the room. Students will explore what it feels like in their body to tell a story from the corner of the room, the front of the room, and the back of the room. The audience will rate the story based upon where the storyteller is telling the story. The students will also experiment with varying degrees of distance. Students will self-assess on a scale of 1-10 on how comfortable or uncomfortable the varying degrees of distance made them feel. They will be assessed on the following: storyteller seems comfortable, relaxed and confident in front of listeners, and maintains clear spatial relationships for characters and narrator. Rationale: A good storyteller makes use of the space around them and uses it to their advantage. Often the only way to know how to use the space is sensing through the body. A student’s ability to sense into their own body is crucial to developing not only a sense of how they specifically move through the world, but how the story they are telling wants to move through them. This lesson also helps students learn about boundaries, and thus supports my deeper social justice goals of weaving embodiment practices in my discipline. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 14. Pacing/Timing Teach a short mini-lesson on pacing and timing. Have them listen to stories told at different speeds. Have them read a short passage aloud with a partner and experiment with telling it slow or fast. Have students self-assess on the effectiveness of the story based upon the timing. Explain that what we are looking for is that the story is presented efficiently and keeps the listeners interest throughout. Review the etymology of both words, as a way to incorporate vocabulary. Review the following terms and explain how these help sequence events in a story, both in written and oral stories. Timing: After, subsequently, at first, as soon as, first, it began, before, second, it started, next, once, after that, initially, in the meantime, during, now, later on, at the end, when, in the beginning, at last, immediately, after a while, pretty soon, meanwhile, when we finished, soon after, last, the last thing, lastly, later, just then, since, before long, suddenly, as, when we were done, however, right after, whenever, in an instant, soon, then Restating: in essence, in other words, namely, that is, that is to say, in short, in brief, to put it differently Rationale: Understanding how timing and pacing add or detract to telling a story, is a skill that all writers and readers need to understand. Timing and pacing also help teach the importance of transitions as they understand how a story flows together well or poorly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.5 15. Theme/Meme Teach a mini-lesson on theme. Teach the etymology of the word theme. Have each student offer up a song they love. Listen to clips of several songs in class. Brainstorm what each song has in common. Explain how songs, like stories have common themes. Revisit the stories we have been reading in class and have them brainstorm these themes. Write these themes up in the corner of the board so we can come back to them when we move on to other genres. Lead a round table discussion on themes and how themes are important to the experience of being human. Rationale: Understanding and being able to articulate what a theme is, is an important aspect of being a good writer, but also a good thinker. Being able to understand and point out themes is indicative of systems thinking, and students need as many opportunities to deepen their thinking and learning. Bringing in pop culture references and examples help show them how stories are all around us all the time, and make it more relevant to their own lives. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 16. Transitions Provide a mini-lesson about the strategies of transition in storytelling. Review what students have already learned about timing and pacing. Practice timing and how that relates to storytelling. Review vocabulary that can be used to assist in making transitions. Use examples from stories we have been working with in class. Rationale: Transitions are a crucial part of the writing and reading process. Transitions are key to making a story, whether it is oral or written, accessible and comprehensible by the audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4 17. Purpose/Value Provide students a mini-lesson on the etymology of purpose and value. Review the stories we have been workshopping since the beginning. Review our class constructed rubric about what it needs to have to be considered purposeful and valuable. Students will be asked to use sentence stems in the dialogue. Have them look up YouTube short videos on stories and discuss why or why not the story has value. Ask them to pay special attention to word choice, images, and tone of voice, as well as, body language, and voice mechanics as they critique whether a story has purpose and value. Have students in a round table discussion talk about how purpose and value change given situational or cultural contexts. Have them re-tell a story from a different vantage point. How would the story of the Raven change had it been set in Southern California for example? How would that change its purpose or value? We will review the final performance assignment, as well as the one page written assignment that is meant to accompany their performance. Rationale: This lesson provides students with multiple entries to deepen critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills, activating prior knowledge, and being able to evaluate sources is a crucial part of being a student of the English language. Students will draw upon the texts provided to infer deeper meaning, and provide evidence, which will be used for formative and summative assessment purposes. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Final Grade: 40/40 FEEDBACK Eleanor, I'm glad you stuck with the storytelling genre. This is a great sequence with a focus on performance. Your assignment and rubrics are clear, so the students will understand what is expected of them. The activities you've chosen directly address the performance elements you intend to assess, making student success more likely. You don't really end with a performance activity -- though I assume that would happen -- though it could be either in front of the class or a recording. Recording it would save class time and make it easier for you to assess, but it's not as much fun/pressure as doing it in front of the class. Anyhow, nicely done. Have a good summer.
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Washington state teacher of the year 2016, Nathan Gibbes-Bowling was described in one write up as part drill sergeant, part cheerleader. This description resonated with me, and I hope I can bring some of that balance to my classroom. The sergeant part means to me that I have high expectation for everyone in my class, and I expect most of them to rise to them. Cheerleaders to me are always sunny and cheerful, often unbearably so, yet keeping a positive mental attitude on the daily in teaching seems crucial for my self-care and sanity. Space creation Is crucial to good classroom management! Thus, it informs my both in subtle and explicit ways. Explicit in that students know where things are, what is happening for the day, how they are expected to conduct themselves for the most part (though empathy is important, so bad days are always taken into consideration). The subtle things will be how the classroom is arranged and decorated. In my ideal classroom I have floor chairs for circle discussion time, work tables (not kidney shaped desks), a couch for chilling and hang out with a tea station in the corner. There are lots of plants. Students can decorate or bring things to hang up on one of the walls. There is a handmade shelf as an altar where students can bring in objects that are important to them. I plan to create a beautiful, colorful, warm space where students can feel at home in. I want to make school as enjoyable and fun for them as possible! I want them to be in a space where they are reminded of beauty and creation. There is a shelf filled with many different types of books from all types of writers.
I tend to fall most on the behaviorist side of things as well. I am always wanting to know the root of things. I have found the work of Marshall Rosenberg and Non-Violent Communication to be very helpful. NVC states that most humans have very similar needs, and we act out when our needs are unmet. So often a behavior that many judge as “challenging” is because of an unmet need. I can keep snacks and other basic life supplies in my class and make them readily accessible to students, i.e. a “needs” box. Co-creation/Co-constructed I would like the students to have some say in our classroom community; they would have to fall under the school rules, my own classroom rules: norms around love, integrity, intellectual rigor, creation, failure, and my own commitment to my discipline of English Language Arts. I see the student voice being key to motivation as well. I want my students to develop the habit of self-reflecting, but also noticing those around them, in terms of thinking how is their behavior affecting the whole? However I can break up the Western norm of self creative expression above all else, and bring in a little bit more understanding of our interdependence with one another (and the non-human world), is part of my management style. My students will have the agency to push back or question an assignment. I plan to teach my students to be reflective practitioners through the craft of writing, and value creators through production of writing, where they understand that the role of my classroom is to equip to understand their citizenship and there obligation to contribute good to their community, however or whoever that community is. Assessment
Relationship-oriented
.......................................................................................................................................................................... A note on Management The word management comes from the word manage (v.) 1560s, probably from Italian maneggiare "to handle," especially "to control a horse," ultimately from Latin noun manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand"). Influenced by French manège "horsemanship" (earliest English sense was of handling horses), which also was from Italian. Extended to other objects or business from 1570s. Sense of "get by" first recorded 1650s. Related: Managed; managing. Managed economy was used by 1933. When we look at the root of the word manage, we have man, a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "man," and "hand." Tracing those words back even further we have man meaning: being, male, servant, vessel and hand meaning: order, commit to one's charge," literally "to give into one's hand;" Old Norse mund "hand," Old English mund "hand, protection, guardian," German Vormund "guardian;" Old Irish muin "protection, patronage." No being, whether horse, human, or plant needs to be controlled or handle. For both of these words imply the use of force and coercion. I am dedicated above all else to respect, courtesy, freedom and personal sovereignty within my teaching spaces. The past ten weeks have flown by, with my classic procrastination causing assignments to pile up, like a cluttered mailbox I just can't find the time to go empty.
I love creating and design. I think beauty is important to life and that most people need a certain amount of to keep them going. Good design in any system is inherently beautiful, and thus I've enjoyed the projects I've created thanks to the simple and beautiful design of the Weebly blog template. I was not surprised, but pleased to learn of all the assistive devices to help ELL and SPED students. My fear with some of those is that a harried teacher already has enough on his or her plate, that learning a technology device on the fly to serve some students might not be successful, and could potentially cause more harm than good. Unless districts are willing to pay for staff to get adequate training, from the critical thinking and social skills required to navigate the interest with intelligence and grace, I can see how the wide spread use of technology in schools could hinder student success. My other critique of this immense focus on computer technology is at the end of the day tires still need to get changed on bikes and vehicles, dinner still needs cooking, diapers still need to be changed, and emotions need to be handled in patient, honest ways. All of these skills are now illustrated for us through the internet, but they do not come with the muscle strength, the stamina, or the focus that most real life tasks take. It is also heartbreaking to see again and again how CTE classes are on the fast track to extinction; there seems to be an immense pressure to jump on the fast train out to college and then on to graduate school, while the average age of a farmer in the United States is nearing 60, and last I checked we still need real food to eat: we can't eat emoji apples. The truth of the matter is that this very device I'm typing on here was made by someone who is a slave. Not once in this class did we talk about what we as educators owe to the rest of the world by engaging in creating a world that is crafted from the blood and sweat of the labors of people in communities like the Congo, and parts of South East Asia- where Apple labor rights are atrocious, and suicide is common in the factories. There is an immense cost to these devices, which seems to be missing from the conversation and support around tech levies and districts moving to one to one. Who really stands to gain from the proliferation of device use in the classroom? Google? Is there really as much concern as the socio-economic implications and class divisions associated with tech in schools as some headlines make it out to be? What do humans owe for the environmental costs of these devices? It is impossible for me to ignore this. Still, I live in the 21st century, and whether I like it or not, this technology exists, and I am glad to have some creative and thoughtful tools and resources under my belt, in which to use it well. ,For this post, I have researched four different apps for use in the classroom:
I used a rubric for each app and rated them on a scale of 1-4 across things like curriculum connection, differentiation, and student motivation. Click on the attached documents below to see what I thought of each, and how they stood up to the rubric! Unfortunately, I was overwhelmingly underwhelmed by the four apps I chose. The only one I would recommend is the Duolingo App for language learning. It's fun, brightly colored, smart, and interactive for the learning. Comment below on apps for learning you love and use!
Electronic technology is a tool for modern humans. Like all tools, it takes time, study, and practice to master the skill of using it well. As an educational tool, teachers now have the responsibility to ensure our students understand that. The internet has given many humans a platform for expression- for example, a recent YouTube video gone viral could be a conversation starter about power, who wields the power, and how to use it appropriately. Thus, the internet has democratized many avenues for knowledge, expression, commerce, and community building, unlike any thing humans have known before! That is pretty amazing! Whether teachers, students, or families like it, with internet and electronic technology becoming ubiquitous, we are now global citizens, and must conduct ourselves as such.
However, at the end of the day, dinner still needs to be cooked. Seeds need to be planted, so we can eat. Children, elders, animals, homes, need to be tended. Humans need love and affection, laughter, conversation, and fellowship in order to thrive. Technology cannot replace these things. A human life is hand made, and in relationship with all things sprung from the earth. Educators committed to social justice through the use of electronic technology, must remember the cost and impact these technologies are having across the globe, and weave this knowing into our curriculum. Technology can augment our lives for a time, but we must ensure that all species have space to thrive on planet earth. |
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