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Multimedia in the ELA classroom

3/1/2021

22 Comments

 
The challenge this week gives you two ends of a triangle: you’ve got a class: a 9th grade BR college prep class—not so old that middle school is a distant memory, not so smart that they will be so over it, not so young that we have to pretend nobody has sex or does drugs); you’ve got your media—any and all of the recordings accessible via the syllabus. How might you use this media and what texts would you pair with them—that’s the last leg of the magic triangle? 

Scroll all the way down for a description of the class you are designing this assignment for. 

 
You’ve got a real opportunity to be pretty creative here. You are welcome to talk about any of the texts we’ve covered so far or will cover in class. Or you can go with something else you’d want to teach. Or you can go with a canonical text that might well be included in the framework. Or you can do a little of all three. Additionally, if there is other supplemental media—movies, TV, radio, news items, non-fiction, art-work, dance, whatever—you are welcome to use that.

Why do this? One way we decolonize the classroom is to bring in "texts" that aren't print. Print text dominates the classroom and is seen, culturally, as more important. And yet texts that are not print dominate our lives and the lives of our students. Here is something to think about as you move from being a student to a teacher: you are all English majors. You love literature. Some of you love the pretty heavy stuff--Joyce, Shakespeare, Morrison. Most of you love to read--I mean really love it (I am that person; I read two novels last week that were not Gossip Girl). You will have classrooms filled with students who don't like to read and who don't do it well or often. And, also, you will have students who will go on to college or trade school and they will take, at most, one literature class: one. So the question to ask yourself as a future teacher is what is your actual job as a language arts teacher? 

The frameworks stresses learning literary terms and concepts and exposure to literature, capital "L." All that is good. It's important and vital for students to have rich experiences with literature. But don't forget that the most important thing we teach our students is how to read and how to write. Anything. Not write only five paragraph essays. Not read only Shakespeare. I think it can be rough to think about. You've spent your entire college career studying literature, and now I'm telling you that teaching literature is not really the job. The job is literacy instruction. How to make students be good readers of all texts. And so a class that encourages students to apply the critical interpretive skills they would use reading Poe or Faulkner or Joyce is and should be what students do with any text, including the various media they will encounter in life much longer than they'll be in school and with much greater consequence if they do it badly. 

THIS WEEK'S CLASS: You are teaching a 9th grade College Prep English class at Bridgewater/Raynham high school. You are working with a class of 35 students: 34 students are white, 1 student is Cape Verdean, 19 are female, 16 are male, one male student is openly gay. 

The BR pass rate on the 10th grade MCAS is 84%. 

Roughly 85% of the students in your class come from a household where at least one parent has some college education. You have two students in your class whose parents are on the faculty at Bridgewater State University. 

You have limited access to technology in the classroom, but your students have access to computers, phones and the internet at home. 

You can familiarize yourself with the school here.
 
As my contribution to the discussion: I have actually paired “Is your Dad Single?” with the stories we read during the first week of class, Girl & 7th grade, with actual rising 8th and 9th graders. I asked students to map out the story of “Is Your Dad Single?”—so what starts the story, what is the rising action, what is the climactic moment, the denouement, the “truth about life.” I ask them to do this graphically. It's a way to practice the kinds of analysis skills that they need for their entire high school and college career. But, since that piece is really about deciding on who you want to be in your own life, we look at Girl and 7th grade through that same lens—how do the various characters in each figure out who they are?  (so now we are learning character analysis--another literary framework-y skill). That’s a final writing--they write a pretty traditional essay that they need to know how to do for things like MCAS and, well, lots of other school occasions. We draft, have a workshop, revise--you know that drill. Along the way, I embed a lot of low-stakes writing: I have them write about their own stories of figuring themselves out, of 7th grade, etc. I also ask them to identify the “rules” of being a boy—so write 7th Grade as a series of “you” statements, but about boys, based on the story. And I ask them to write a responsee to the mother-figure in Girl here they are responding to the rules as the girl being told how to behave. All this work requires listening, reading, note-taking. It requires working alone and in groups. It requires that they be able to prove a point about  a text using the text as evidence. It gives them space to reflect personally. I really enjoy the entire sequence. We end with a very fun exercise where they make their own maps of their lives using giant post-its and these emoji pictures I picked up on amazon—who they are now, where they want to end up, how they are going to get there. They present that to the whole class. I do it with them. They marvel at the idea that a 50 year old could still possibly have a life plan.
22 Comments
Demi Riendeau
3/1/2021 09:15:52 am

These three texts could be used very effectively to teach a lesson on memoirs, specifically short defining moments of students’ lives. These could be used as the transition into shorter more concise memoirs for students to engage with and create on their own. I would pair these three texts with I know why the Caged Bird Sings as a way to examine the differences between autobiography and memoir. Using these short podcasts are a great way for students who do better with oratory understanding to be able to grasp the idea of a moment centered memoir (kind of like the flash fiction piece that we did).
Having students listen to this set of podcasts will also show representation and a shared unity within students. Each of these podcasts shows difficult stories that helped to form the people into they are, this would help show students to embrace these stories and these parts of their identity. By showing these examples in addition to the primary text, not only do students get a sense of a shortened memoir but also of an honest and unapologetic memoir. Through these three texts, students can see a range of identities and experiences that can encourage them to create a memoir that is uniquely theirs and passionate.
These short podcasts can also serve to help students to recognize different styles and how they can contribute to your story and be part of your personality. Some of the stories are more serious and some of them are more joking in their manner. This can also help lead students to different styles of memoir than just the one they saw in the main text. This teaches students that they can make their memoir show not only their own story, but also their own writing style and personality. This would be a great culturally responsive lesson and a way for students to each express their own identity and experience.
Using these group of texts, both a canon text that is required in many schools and some podcasts that represent identities and important moments in student’s life, I think will be a great lesson for freshman writers. Doing this engaging lesson, they get to express themselves and hopefully feel confident about it, which is something that is often times difficult in high school. This lesson will connect to their media habits, identities, and give them freedom of expression which I think is valuable in a classroom setting for Freshmen Students.

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Claire Laurent
3/2/2021 08:24:27 am

Dear Demi,
I think your ideas are great. However, there is no activity and this is all passive learning. It would be great to contrast and analyze the differences between autobiography and memoir. What is missing from your lesson is how you would ask the students to pull that evidence from the texts? And in what ways will you include technology in this lesson? It would also be really helpful to incorporate a lesson about the differences between autobiographies and memoirs. Maybe the students could come up with their own definitions of autobiography and memoir, in their own words, using research resources. This could be a great opportunity for discussion. Your inclusion of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is awesome. Explaining how it relates to the other pieces would be great for your students.

Reply
Orlaith Connolly
3/2/2021 04:48:45 pm

Hey Claire!

I agree with your main point; it's very important for students to understand the differences between a memoir and an autobiography. I also think that Demi could incorporate technology into this lesson; the students could maybe create a powerpoint or Prezi presentation about their research on the differences as well as examples of both types of literature.

claire laurent
3/2/2021 06:20:16 am


College Prep English 101
Common Thread Research Assignment

Task sheet
1. Read the texts “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid and “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto, and listen to the podcast “Maybe” by Jessica lee Williamson. There is a common thread of performance present in all these works. In “Maybe”, there is a theatrical performance that involves rehearsal. In “Girl” someone is being lectured on how to perform her responsibilities to become a well-rounded female. This involves memorizing and self-reflection. And in “Seventh Grade”, a young man and his friend are trying out different things and learning how to develop personalities and self-presentations that work for them in their academic, social and love life. This involves some varying levels of practice.
2. With your partner, discuss and take bullet pointed notes in a word document on the similarities and differences in the performance theme displayed in each work.
3. In a PowerPoint presentation, you will show what textual clues support the observation that these texts are about performing.
4. In your PowerPoint presentation, you will include what are other types of performances you can think of. Use the school’s library and online database to research the various kinds of performances that exist, may they be professional, academic, entertainment, domestic, self-improving, social or personal.
5. Write a short memoir that you will read aloud to the class on the day of your presentation, depicting a season in your life where you had to display a skill, put on a show, participate in an entertainment production, or impress someone. What did your duties entail? What was the purpose of your effort and the objective of your endeavor? And how did you feel before and after your performance? Were you successful or not?
6. Design a playbill that you will create using a computer and a color printer describing what your audience of classmates are to expect at the time of your presentation, as well as you and your partner’s role in the presentation. Have enough of the playbill to distribute to your classmates and include a count for me, your teacher.
7. Create a mock advertisement flyer that you will distribute to the class at the time of your presentation. Use a computer and a color printer to create it. It must be of a current, new and modern book, TV show, a movie, a podcast, an art work, of upcoming or circulating theater or dance performances. The theme thereof must be focusing on performance. This advertisement is to inform us and keep us up to date on what is currently happening in the world of performance.
Assignment Overview
This assignment is designed to acquaint the students with various forms of reading. They are prompted to read texts in print and prose form. They will be reading critical essays from their library databases. And they will be reading internet websites to supply material for the mock advertisement portion of the assignment.
The students will also be acquainted with the process of research and will understand how to use the technological tools that are at their disposal when the need to produce for an assignment of this caliber. They will even approach the realm of graphic design to be able to create a playbill and an advertising flyer.
They will also learn collaboration and courtesy from working together as a team and through dividing responsibilities between themselves in this activity. The podcast will sharpen their listening skills, requiring them to be attentive to be able to collect information. They will learn how to use the internet and where to go to keep up with the times as well.
By writing about themselves in light of the theme of the assignment, they will learn that they can relate to the world of literature and that they are an integral part of the world. That they too have a voice that matters and the power to be part of the realm of art. Moreover, the individual comments, corrections and the grades that they will receive from me in regards to their writing, will sharpen their writing skills. The writing experience will be an exposure to the logistics associated with composing texts.
The presentation which includes reading aloud, a PowerPoint, and distribution of handouts, will hone and groom the students to be good public speakers and will undercut their social anxiety.

Reply
Adlai Greene
3/2/2021 10:37:47 am

We typically teach our students how to write a basic five-paragraph essay with the basic elements of intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion. For this class, I would want to introduce these students to other ways they can get their point across. I would want to demonstrate how writing can actually incorporate other modes of expressions, specifically technology. For this class, I would consider using “Is Your Dad Single?”, Gossip Girl, and an article with embedded audio files (a teacher last semester introduced this article to me, but unfortunately, I can’t find it anywhere). I would then ask the students to analyze how technology is used to support the main story in each of the texts. For example, “Is Your Dad Single?” uses the mode of audio/podcast to convey a story, Gossip Girl uses a gossip column to help convey a story, and the article uses audio files to support the written words in the story/article. I would ask my students if they felt the modes were effective and why. As a low-stakes assignment, I would ask them to do some research to locate other literature that uses multimedia to create a story. Once they have located a text or piece of some kind, I would ask them to write a short paragraph on if they felt the use of media in that source was effective and how it made a different impact than if that media had not been included. My hope is for students to think outside of the five-paragraph essay box and realize that writing can have an imaginative side to it, even in the academic world. Additionally, I think this assignment could be a good opportunity to discuss style and how we can make writing our own through the various techniques and styles we implement. I would end the lesson with a high-stakes assignment where I asked my students to use some form of media to convey their own texts/literature. After walking them through the writing process, each student would be given the opportunity to share with their classmates how they incorporated media within their own texts.

Reply
Ashley Munoz
3/2/2021 01:45:25 pm

Hi Adlai,
I like the discussion of what the student thinks is the most effective way to convey the story. I have students I work with who really shy away from reading physical words but if they have something they can hear and listen to the dive right in and we have their full attention. You could even request that after they make their own texts in said individual styles that in the next class, they join into groups of 3-4 and analyze each text. Is it still as affective now that it is their own writing? Why? What did they do to make it their own?

Reply
Ashley Munoz
3/2/2021 01:37:52 pm

One of the things I have come to observe more and more through myself and the students that I work with is the students needing relatability and the ability to make choices about their assignments. For this particular reason, I would use “The Secret Letter” text by Poala Ayala. Firstly, I would have them read it individually as a paper transcribed copy. Once this individual task if finished I will have the entire class listen to the recorded version. This way they can hear the context of the text, the emotion displayed behind it. Another reason why is because it is short. With classes being on a timed schedule, and longer texts taking multiple classes I feel this is an assignment where the students can relate and comprehend in as little as one to possibly two classes given the activity of the discussion. I don’t think I have ever met a person who has at some point in their life, did not have a breach in privacy via parents, friends or other. But to have it be a misunderstanding and a miscommunication even more so, and in this case, it reveals a very big truth about the author that she was fearful about admitting, until she realizes that she doesn’t need to. So, being a short personal narrative, I would ask the students to identify the different characters, their roles and the respected responses via our main character, the author. My next step would be to have them discuss in small groups what similar moments they have had in their lives and if/how it affected them, if they don’t have anything to share or aren’t comfortable sharing then they may choose to make up a narrative that would be realistic to their lives. Now, after these discussions their ticket to leave will be a written summary of their own story, at most a page long. This will be the start of a rough draft assignment that can be finished in the next class to work on detailing and making the content relatable for the reader.

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Lindsay Everson
3/2/2021 04:39:59 pm

Hi Ashley! I think it is a great idea to have students read and listen to the podcast. It is also helpful because if a student does not remember something they heard in the podcast, they have it in writing as well. I enjoy how you give an option of making up a narrative if a student is not comfortable, because it allows for creative flexibility, which I find extremely important when it comes to writing. I am not going to be a teacher, but if there is one thing I know, it is that writing often scares students and that needs to be changed. Allowing students to have different creative options allows for more interest and engagement. Great thoughts!

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Orlaith Connolly
3/2/2021 04:45:23 pm

Hey Ashley!

I also think that relatability is integral to keeping students engaged in a classroom, so I really like your idea of a personal reflection! If it were me, I would keep this assignment very opened ended so the students don't feel limited or pressured to share about something they might not want to. I also like how you suggested a continuing project that would stem from this assignment. I think a fun idea that you could make from it is maybe turn it into a scavengar assignment like we did in our class; white out the names and pass out copies to students in the classroom and see if they can match the narrative to their classmate!

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Lindsay Everson
3/2/2021 01:52:01 pm

The three podcasts we listened to this week all deal with experiences that can reach a 9th grade audience. To begin the lesson, I would have students listen to the podcast “Maybe” by Jessica Lee Williamson and read the short story “7th Grade” by Gary Soto. After listening, I would ask them to write down similarities and differences between the two stories since it helps them delve into some basic analysis. It also allows for them to practice comparing a written piece, to a spoken experience. I would expect some answers along the lines of, - they are similar because in both stories they get embarrassed, and, they are different because Jessica learns to overcome her fear of other people's judgment and gains confidence, while Victor only gains confidence based off what others think of him. After having them write similarities and differences, I would give them a short writing to do in class which asks one of two questions: “1. Write about a time that you did something silly in order to fit in. How did it feel? Was it embarrassing? Or 2. Write about a time you have overcame a fear or learned to deal with that fear. How did you do it? Did it take a long time?”. Short writing assignments allow for students to become more involved with what they are reading or listening to and allow for them to relate directly to the stories. It also allows students to get creative if they choose to do so, because I would allow them to make up a story, if they did not want to write about a personal experience. This would allow for an even broader range of ideas to be explored and possibly allow for more interest from students. After discussing both the podcast and the story, I will have the students watch the documentary, The Social Dilemma directed by Jeff Orlowski. The documentary discusses the dangers that the media poses on individuals, and the high rates of anxiety and depression it causes among teens. It is a good way of allowing students to become engaged with the current world around them and become aware of the saddening effects of social media. Before watching the documentary, I will ask students if they would ever delete their social media accounts, and then after watching it, I will ask the same question. I assume many would still answer no, but it would be interesting to see if there has been any change of opinions. Lastly, I would have students' team up and make a poster of a new type of social media that builds people up, instead of tearing them down-such as an app or a website. It would be a good way for them to reflect on the documentary and learn how to make changes for the betterment of society. To end the lesson, I would read a passage from the novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott where the March girls put on a play in their living room, to show students how people entertained themselves before the media or tv, and to possibly interest them in reading the novel themselves.

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Orlaith Connolly
3/2/2021 04:41:58 pm

Hey Lindsay!

You have some really awesome ideas! I also have watched the Social Dilemma, and it's seriously an eye opening documentary. I would definitely agree that this is something appropriate for this age group of students, and think that it should be shown in classrooms as well. You discussed your ideas of keeping short response papers, and if you were thinking about this as a routine thing I would suggest that the students keep their own little writing journal! This way they can easily keep track of their writing and also reflect on what they have done in the past to see how they have grown as a writer.

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Brittany Ann Oppenheimer
3/2/2021 01:58:18 pm

Ok, so. Teaching is a little out of my realm here but I will try my best to come up with something that sounds practical.

1. My first instinct for teaching this class is to show the students why people in the world can view each other differently because of their race. Since the majority of this class is white, it might be a good idea teach them that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
2. I would have the class watch the short film "A class divided" then have the students write down their thoughts about the subject in a journal that they have written in for the last year.
3. Next, I would have the kids watch "Is your dad single, secret letter, and maybe" to show the kids how people their age react to things happening in everyday life. They would also right there thoughts down in their journal about these pieces.
4. Then, I would let the kids go back on their notes/thoughts about the piece and compare and contrast what makes these situations different. Is it because of their race? Their age? Their words? Is family life different now then it was when A Class Divided came out? I think, as a teacher, I would want them to think deeply about it on a whole other level because it's possible during this point of their lives that these kids do not know a lot about black history which I feel is important to teach.
5. Text wise, I can't think of a good book to give them at the moment that would teach them about race (would love to hear your suggestions!) but my first instinct would be to let the kids read "The Giver," which is a book my teachers had me read in high school that impacted the way I viewed the world as a whole. I feel that this book would be insightful while teaching the class a little bit more about diversity.
6. Finally, I would let the kids write down any questions they want to ask about the subject matter and I would try to help them understand in any way I can. In class, or in private (like a councilors room or something.) The homework following the texts should somehow allow the kids to see themselves in The Class Divided video or any of the other three media texts.

So, how was this? Like I said, I'm not used to prepping stuff like this for a classroom. I just felt like because the class majority was white, that teaching the kids about black history would be the way to go. Honestly, I don't know if what I said makes sense. If you have any suggestions on what to fix, don't be afraid to let me know cause I don't know a lot about teaching myself.

Thanks!
- Brittany Oppenheimer

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Orlaith Connolly
3/2/2021 04:38:44 pm

Hi Brittany!

I think it's awesome that you decided to focus on the racial aspects that can come up in a classroom. My suggestion to you would be to have the students interact with media and texts from a variety of different cultures and perspectives, and ask them to create a Venn diagram off the all the similarities and differences they encounter. Then, I think it would be helpful to have a class discussion about the things they found and compare it with what other students came up with!

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Orlaith Connolly
3/2/2021 04:34:15 pm

In order for my student to understand how both the plotline and characters of a story are developed, I would have them interact with a selected podcast as well as the text Gossip Girl. To start, I would assign each student a podcast listed on the syllabus while keeping a character of their choice from Gossip Girl in their minds. After getting familiar with the style and technique of developing a podcast, I would ask the students to create their own version of a podcast as their chosen character from Gossip Girl. I would ask them to pick an important defining moment or scene that the character was involved in and have them write their own improvised podcast script as if they were the character retelling a story or sequence of events. To do this, I would first ask the students to reflect on what they have already read in the book and see if there’s a chapter or issue that stands out to them in particular. Since Gossip Girl is a widely popular TV show, I would allow the students to spend time on the internet to watch some of the series in order to gauge the attitudes and characteristics of the character they chose, or even look to see if the scene they took from the book is portrayed in the show as well. I would ask them to write out qualities that are attributed to their character, such as their word choice or cadence, and have them incorporate those characteristics into their podcast script so they are able to understand how these characters are developed. I also would have the students brainstorm words that came to their mind after listening to the podcast, and how these qualities would be reflected through the character they chose. For homework, I would ask the students to record an audio version of their script roleplaying as their chosen character retelling their selected scene, and start the next class off by sharing some of their recordings.

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Nicholas Ceniseroz
3/2/2021 08:18:32 pm

I do like the conceit of this assignment in the way that it tries to utilize the modality of an audio-type mentor text and apply it to a demonstration of their understanding of another text. I feel like there could maybe be some practicality issues though that may or may not be much of an issue. I do like the idea of using the show to sort of visualize the characters better in concept, but that would require extra preparation in that you would probably have to prepare timestamps or hope there are clips of the scenes they pick that are readily available. Otherwise, I feel like they would be pretty resentful if they assumed you were expecting them to scroll through the show to maybe find the scene they were looking for, assuming it was even adapted accurately or at all. Speaking of which, as you mention, the show may have done certain things differently which could be it's own interesting element to the assignment, but as an aid for visualizing a scene in the book they're trying to talk about, it might not be as helpful.
Depending on how long this assignment is supposed to be, I feel like coming up with a script IN CHARACTER for an entire podcasts worth of time could be a bit of a heavy task if it's supposed to be a short term assignment, unless they're only expected to speak for maybe a couple paragraphs for like 3 or 4 minutes. That is if you're intent on framing it as a podcast. I assume the way this was worded, this was meant to be a solo assignment, but if it's a group thing then that would make it even more complicated in that you have to make sure they all know how to work with the audio software in a collaborative manner,
Again, I like the concepts of the assignment. Just would need to make sure you have a firm grasp on how you want to do this and consider any potential issues that may arise

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Nicholas A Ceniseroz
3/2/2021 04:37:39 pm

Supposing we were reading Little Women (it could be any book, I just like this as an example for the purposes of the assignment), I would have them read a chapter of that, listen to "The Secret Letter" audio, and I would select a clip of a comedian telling a brief story on Youtube. Then after reading/listening/watching them once, go through them and jot down all the noteworthy events/points/details that make up the story, preferably in order of it being told to make the following parts easier. I would want them to be as thorough as possible, though, not to the extent that they're basically just rewriting it sentence for sentence. Then, once they have done that, I want the students to look at the details they have recorded, and then paraphrase the stories in just one paragraph. It should adequately summarize the story, but ideally without the paragraph getting too bloated. This is for the sake of exercising their ability to pick out the details and main ideas that are and aren't important in a narrative.

I chose a literary text, an audio text, and an audio/video text for the sake of exercising both their reading and listening skills in relation to their ability to write about and understand a story or text. I specifically chose Little Women because I feel like a lot of the individual chapters work very well with this assignment in that they’re very episodic and easy to understand and write about even as a standalone piece. I chose the audio of The Secret Letter because it’s relatively straightforward, brief and easy to follow along even just listening. I also feel it simultaneously has the appeal of inclusivity, being oriented around a gay individual, while also being somewhat universally relatable in the way that it’s about a young person having a secret from their parents that they’re freaking out over if they got caught, which I imagine plenty of young people experience in some manner, gay or not. I also want to do one with a comedian’s clip because, as oppose to audio files like The Secret Letter, I want them to view something that is very upfront in how lighthearted and non-serious it is. This is because I want them to practice these skills and understand that they can also be useful for things outside of an educational context. So even with something casual, like a comedian’s story, or a a friend’s account, or whatever, they might see that the skills their practicing are important for life in general.

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Adlai Greene
3/2/2021 07:34:29 pm

I really like your lesson proposal, Nicholas. I especially like how you are trying to teach a strategy that will enable students to succeed beyond the classroom. As this is a college prep course, it is smart to teach strategies that can help them analyze more difficult texts/videos. I also like the way you draw the students to pick out the important details. This is something we teach from early grades, however; when texts become more confusing, it can be difficult to discern between important details and filler details.
Something that could take this lesson to the next level is assigning a high-stakes assignment. Maybe the students could create a piece of literature that reflects one of the styles they read/watched/heard. You could have the students pick a story from their life and write down every single thing they remember from that moment. Then, they could practice the skill of picking out important pieces by doing so on their own stories. Finally, they could present their stories in whichever mode they chose.
Good idea!

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Grace Donnelly
3/2/2021 09:53:30 pm

After listening to the podcasts in class, I would lead a brief discussion on theme, trying to reach the idea that each story is centered around “being yourself”, but asking if the students could identify more themes: rebellion, loneliness, family dynamics, fairness, and perseverance, among others. How do the texts elicit sympathy, how are they relatable? Why do they resonate so deeply? Examples could be stage fright, from Maybe, a Christmas Day disappointment from Is Your Dad Single? or a big secret, like in A Secret Letter.
Is Your Dad Single? contains a stepfamily, and it gets pretty Cinderella-like. I would ask for examples of stepsiblings portrayed in media: Cinderella, most famously, but there’s also Matilda, and Kristy’s Big Day from The Baby Sitter’s Club series, among countless others. Tropes come into the discussion as the class ponders “wicked stepsisters.” The class would talk about how the narrator of Single? uses the wicked stepsiblings trope to her advantage, setting up her new siblings with little detail about their personalities.
At home, I would ask them to listen and outline Little Miss Perfect by Taylor Louderman (found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZIikh-z7g). This song is a combination of Is Your Dad Single? and The Secret Letter, besides being fun to listen to. It also trended on TikTok a few months ago—the students have probably heard it before.
Back in class, I would ask the students to think of a story that they could share that would create a strong reaction from an audience, and if they could outline it. What makes it relatable? Why does it hit us in the heart? What is the most important detail? Does it rely on a trope? This could either be a personal experience of theirs, or fiction if they’re uncomfortable sharing a personal story.
From this outline, and additional notes if they wish, I would have them to record the piece like on the Moth. (If they were feeling adventurous, a song or rap like Little Miss Perfect would be a fun challenge! Student’s choice). This would create less pressure than pages of writing, but still allow for some writing practice.

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Katy Bedig
3/3/2021 03:39:53 pm

Lesson Name→ Critical Thinking and start practicing creating outlines for papers

Goal
to become better at critical thinking and
construct supporting information for their arguments using text and other sources
broaden their knowledge of stories and other events→ prior knowledge
able to read and analyze text to do some prep for Common Core Test

Why I am Teaching it to them this way
The reason I am not creating an incredible structured approach is for a few reasons
1. I want them to be somewhat interested in the topic they are writing about. When I was in 9th grade I hated when we didn’t have much option for what to read and write about. I want to eliminate as much BS work as possible so giving them the chance to write about something they find interesting. I am also having some guidelines with having it be only a few short stories.
2. They will not be writing anything, I am going to have them construct not-cards for each quote they will want to use to support their argument (see example below). I want this to be something short-ish so maybe one of these takes maybe a month-ish to do. Then if the student decides not to go to college they are actually learning how to construct an argument and find reasons why their argument is good and not just write a paper.
How I plan to introduce everything

Demonstrate Understanding
Give them sheet with specific instructions of assignment, printouts of the stories, and 2 story maps
-Peak→ excerpt
-"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas"
-“The Lottery”
-“Through the Tunnels”
-If they have a book or a story from a podcast they want to do instead they would need to meet with me and let me know their plan and I would need to approve it. The reason I am giving them this is because I am guessing most 9th graders won’t actually take up this offer.
Read 1 of the stories together to model how to do the story map→ point out important characters, themes, rising actions, falling, ect.

Demonstrate Analyze
Come back next class with story they want to do picked and story map filled out
Create groups of people with same story, have them talk about what they have on their story map and anything that stuck out or have questions on
Me going around meeting with groups making sure they know what is going on in their story they picked
Give them wondering questions for what to look for
Compare and contrast characters, themes, change in characters
Make sure they know what themes are→ give examples for demonstrated story
Pivotal moment in stories→ cause and effect

Demonstrate Create
Talk about creating an argument→ how the main conflict of the story influences the main character's decisions
Give the a few options of topics to write about pertaining to story they picked
Whether the character was right or wrong?, Agree or disagree?, etc.
I want them using backing up their opinion using the text not their own personal life experiences

Demonstrate Evaluation
Show/ Tell them formula for interesting quotation
What is happening, who says it, quote, why / refer back to your originally point and say why it fits
6 note cards with 1 quote on each, filling out template
If they want to write it into a paper they can for extra points but not necessary

HAND IN→ 6 notecards with 6 quotes, story with notes on it, story map, stapled

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Molly Graham
3/4/2021 11:07:18 am

It is very evident that media and technology are a driving force of society today, especially in education. Classrooms from preschool to graduate school are using technology as a tool to better learning abilities and experiences but this also comes with understanding how to properly incorporate it into the classroom without being the focus of the learning. When thinking about a middle class american ninth grade class in 2021 it is automatically known that these students have and use technology and media very well. For this English class involving technology in an assignment is more likely to make the students interested in participating. In this lesson I would start by having the students listen to the podcast “Is your dad single”. While listening to the podcast I would have them write down the big parts of her story that led to a different behavior for example “Her dad told her grandma she wasn’t doing anything interesting so as a result of hearing that she decided to really not do anything” or “Her step brother got better grades then she did as a result she felt bad about her work and started doing worse”. After I would have them discuss the major changes they chose to write down and have them connect it to something in their life. I would do this lesson while having them read “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. I would have the students write similar notes about Girl such as writing what her mother tells her to do and what will happen if she does not for example “Her mother tells her she needs to dress nice or if not she will be called a “slut”.” Now to include technology through more than a podcast I would then have the students do a comparing and contrasting activity relating to how a teenager is expected to act based on these two pieces of media.

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Cora Roche
3/5/2021 08:11:26 pm

For my lesson, I would use “7th Grade”, “Girl”, and excerpts from Little Women and Gossip Girl.

Reading one passage at a time, I would take each student create a T Chart to illustrate what characteristics are assigned to men and women in each story- What does it mean or look like to be a man/woman? What can a man or woman NOT be? What personality traits are accepted or condemned? For each characteristic or ideal assigned to each sex, they must provide contextual evidence to support how the story blatantly or subtly.

Then using the flash memoir formatting, I would have each student write about a moment or situation or conversation that was enforcing gender roles/stereotypes in their life or in the lies around them (whether it be a personal conversation or a TV show/media or the representation that they see)to share in small groups to discuss. Discussion will also have the prompts- how do these situations change how you act or interact with others? If you could go back in time, would you change anything? Did it change the way you thought before that?

Next, I would assign a writing assignment that they wouldn’t need to share with anyone but the teacher. Using a google doc journaling format, I would ask students to write about something that they would do if gender roles/stereotypes were not enforced. Whether that is in clothing, career, friendships, etc.

I would then have groups of students create PowerPoints about the definitions of gender and sex, the roles/stereotypes that we observe in society us and stats surrounding that, and how the school/student body is either supporting or overcoming these stereotypes and how are ways that we as faculty or students can do better to make everyone feel supported in who they are.

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Tenneh Sesay
3/9/2021 12:01:47 pm

While I was observe I notice that I have to work with students who need to be more relatability and ability to make their own choices. I would use "The Secret Letter" by Poala Ayala, first I would have my students to read in a group or individually as a paper transcribed copy. After the students finished listening to the version of recorder, it can help them to learn to the context and text and what the emotion is displayed. Also another reason is that its can be short. The classes would be timed schedule, and long how it take them to complete an assignment. This assignment can relate and comprehend in the activity of the discussion. Misunderstanding and a miscommunication even more so, and in this case, it reveals a very big truth about the author that she was fearful about admitting, until she realizes that she doesn’t need to.

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