Sunday, May 5, 2013
My Third Session
My third session this past Wednesday was very productive because I thought I might be getting graded and was expecting my instructor Ms. Givehand to possibly pop up but she couldn't make it. We reviewed the material the students had prepared for me and I collected the edits they made to the work from the previous week. I talked about affirmations and recited my Self -Determination poem for them. I gave them a couple of choice prompts one stated to write a poem called "Because I love myself." One student did exceptionally well with this. What I wish I would have done is to go through the basics of making a poem for those who have less experience. Having students at different writing levels has slowed me down a bit.
Next time I will write down their suggestions so they can see words on the board and help them craft it and if I choose to repeat this all inclusive style of teaching in the future I will make sure I have an assistant. I can't focus on someone's writing and watch for any discipline issues at the same time when there's more than six or seven students. We did an alternative version of red light, green light so I could plant the seed that they do have good memories and self-control. Later on we also played the yes and no game to warm them up and so I could briefly discuss that it's ok to say no sometime. Their favorite was questions because it also allowed them to focus on what they wanted to say before they said it. A really great story came out of that. The only problem is I didn't stop them because they were having so much fun. I think I will have someone write down or record the dialogue next time.
My biggest accomplishment in this session was getting Laila's play performed and she was so excited. I read the narration and they came in during their respective parts. I also let one of the student's videotape because she said she wanted to be a filmmaker. Next week I want to gather the poems and stories that will be published, type them up and find out who will be willing to recite when the time comes to put on a CTP show. I'm still unsure of how short the short stories need to be though.
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Venus, it sounds like you are really empowering students to explore their creative impulses, awesome! I can imagine working with this age-group that capturing great moments (like the story that came from the questions game) is a skill that requires innovation, flexibility, and thinking on-the-spot. I love the idea of having students film while others perform, because students get multiple creative experiences and their work gets documented.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confirmation Leslie. I'm going to try to see if I can get another good group story accomplished.
DeleteVenus, oh no!! I would NEVER just pop up. I want you to be prepared for my visit, so no pop ups :-). I love how you incorporated games into your lessons. That's a great way to break up the content for them.
DeleteAs for the anthology, there is no word limit, but I would say that if their short story is more than 20 pages, you should check in with me first.
Thanks Kiala. It helps to know. She's still writing the second act.
DeleteOk I guess I need to prepare for today's visit. I usually don't go on Fridays. I hope everyone will be there. See you soon. :o)
Delete"My biggest accomplishment in this session was getting Laila's play performed and she was so excited. I read the narration and they came in during their respective parts. I also let one of the student's videotape because she said she wanted to be a filmmaker. Next week I want to gather the poems and stories that will be published, type them up and find out who will be willing to recite when the time comes to put on a CTP show. I'm still unsure of how short the short stories need to be though."
ReplyDeleteThis is gold right here. I bet you had less "discipline issues" happening at this moment because:
1. You had students who needed to read parts, follow through the script.
2. You had students filming.
Its sounds like people were all playing a role.
In the situation you described above, it sounds like you were helping one student while the others were waiting. I only offer younger students one on one help when the whole class is focused on a goal, working on a project or an exercise. That, and making sure the material is relevant and feeling necessary to them, is the key to "discipline" in the classroom girl!
Thanks Rosa! I also used your earlier suggestion and allowed them to grade each other on their presentations. We came up with the criteria and point system. They LOVED it. I told them to focus on the work and not the person. It also helped them practice their math skills when it came time to total up scores.
Deletesounds like things are going great, venus. just keep trying to have fun
ReplyDeleteHi Venus, I appreciate your comment about having students at different writing ability levels. I wonder about this when it comes time to hold my workshop and would love to talk in person about strategies. I think of keeping the group small to lessen the impact of differing abilities as an alternative to moving slowly to accommodate those that need more time--I fear this could derail momentum by stronger writers. As I write this, it occurs to me that my task is to find a way to encourage strong writers to plunge ahead with confidence while I take care (and more time) with those that need more support.
ReplyDeleteReading about your last session was inspiring - I can only imagine how much fun the students had with you. Congratulations!