Classroom Activities
Brainstorming – Week 1
Since this unit will be taught at the beginning of the school year, it will serve multiple purposes: a first sample of student writing and reading ability, community building, setting the tone for class expectations, and a gateway into the topic of the following unit on social justice.
In my experience, most students in high school have not given much thought to their relationship with language. This opening lesson provides students with an opportunity to think specifically about their relationship with reading and/or writing and to write an essay exploring that relationship. This lesson serves to open the topic to students in an unintimidating way by having them begin brainstorming by responding to these specific prompts: What do I read and why do I read? What do I write and why do I write? For each of the prompts, students will write continuously for five minutes. If they get stuck, students should be encouraged to rewrite their last thought over again. The point of this exercise is for students to get as much of their thoughts on the topic down in writing.
Following the brainstorming, students will go through their responses and look for the five most valuable ideas they came up with. They will write these down at the bottom of their journal page. Each student will share one of their thoughts, choosing from either a reading idea or a writing idea. The teacher will keep track on the board or on chart paper keeping one column for reading and one for writing. After all students have shared, the teacher will ask the class which of the shared ideas resonate with them and engage students in a brief discussion of the various ideas that have been shared on the topic of language, reading, and writing.
Finally, students will pick one of the ideas (either their own or one shared by another) and expand on that idea in a discovery draft—an exploration of a topic focused on fluency of writing and recording their unedited thoughts. The teacher will collect these drafts at the end of this class period and provide students with feedback on the initial direction of their ideas. Feedback will not be given on mechanics or grammar at this stage.
Working with a Text – Week 2
Prior to class, students will have read Frederick Douglass’s essay, “Learning to Read.” This lesson will focus on students considering to whom Douglass is writing in this essay and how that audience connects to Douglass’s purpose.
Students will begin by writing a journal response as a class warm-up activity: Choose and copy a short passage (one or two sentences) from Douglass’s essay that stands out to you. Explain why you chose this passage. Teacher should allow five minutes for students to write their responses, then ask for a volunteer to share their selected passage and their thoughts on it. Teacher should encourage others to share their thoughts on the shared passage or to connect to another passage. After five to ten minutes of discussion, teacher will ask students how the passages they selected or discussed might provide insight into Douglass’s purpose or intended audience for the essay. Teacher should take note of student’s thoughts on the board; students might suggest specific word choices, the characters from the essay, Douglass’s position in the society, or other characters’ reactions to Douglass in the essay.
Teacher will ask students how Douglass learned to read. Direct students to look at the first section of the essay. What was Douglass’s first introduction to reading? What happened next? Teacher should chart the outline of Douglass’s narrative on the board while students are prompted to track the progression of his experience with reading and then writing. Once the class has completed an outline of the essay, teacher should prompt students to connect the way Douglass structured his essay (connecting a sequence of short narrative scenes) to his purpose for writing it (to describe the power reading provides to a person). Students should not be explicitly told the purpose but should discover it through discussion and prompting.
Once students have connected the structure and the purpose, they should be asked to consider possible audiences for the piece. Teacher will ask students to suggest possible audiences whom Douglass may have intended. Teacher should note on the board possible audiences that students suggest. Once students have compiled a list of possible audiences, the teacher will ask how the purpose changes for each audience. For example, how would this essay have a different purpose for ex-slaves than it would for people who had owned slaves? Once students have thought about each of the audiences they listed, they should write a final reflection in their journals: How are audience and purpose connected in a piece of writing?
Peer Workshopping – Week 3
Once students have produced a complete draft of their essay, they will work in small groups (three or four students) to workshop and provide constructive feedback to their peers. These groups will be assigned by the teacher.
Before getting into their groups, students will respond to the following reflection questions independently:
- What is the best part of your work? Why?
- On what part of your work do you need to spend more time? Why?
- What one word/phrase or idea deserves an award for exceptional choice?
- What comment would you put on this work if you were the audience?
Students will take turns focusing on a single essay. One student will read her responses to the four reflection questions then will read her entire essay aloud. The other students will listen as she reads, paying close attention for areas that they feel are strong as well as those places where they might recommend changes or rewriting. Reading aloud serves two main purposes: first, it is a way to ensure that the students are all engaged with the same essay at the same time; second, it provides an opportunity for the writer to listen to her own words to notice any confusing or awkward sections.
After the writer has had a chance to read the essay aloud, the other students in the small group hold a five-minute discussion of the essay that was just read. During this time, the writer does not speak, but takes notes on what is being discussed.
Following this discussion, the writer is given an opportunity to ask clarifying questions on the feedback she has received.
The process repeats for each student in the group. Once all students have completed the process, students independently reflect on the process by describing the feedback they received from their peers, how they can apply it to their essay, and what they noticed about the other essays shared in their group that they might apply to their own essay.
Comments: