We're Up and Running here in Room 1601!
Some exciting...and at times, frustrating...changes are taking place in Room 1601 this year. While we are still doing some paper and pen/cil work, many of our assignments and activities are taking place via Google Classroom. During the first two weeks of classes, we did several activities to learn/refresh skills that will be needed for the new assignment format. We've created virtual lockers, ideal writing spaces, and movie posters to practice and learn skills that will be necessary for digital one-pagers, collage work, visual representation of literary works, etc. We've done video lessons together in class to practice Flipped Classroom lessons and online instruction. We've videoed presentations and taken screenshots/photos of work and practiced submitting work via email, sharing, and file uploads. We've practiced online group activities/discussions to accomplish what we used to do in small close face-to-face groups.
And we've practiced lots of patience when technology hasn't cooperated: trying to log-in to do bellringers online but not everyone being able to get on at the same time; sharing assignments that didn't really share because we forgot one step; or recording a speech only to discover that we'd not pressed the "record" button.
Students have demonstrated creative critical thinking and problem-solving (taking a picture of the question and three page reading assignment instead of adding the six-pound literature book to an already full backpack, for example) and a willingness to teach and learn from each other (catching up a student who missed a couple of days of class by meeting with the student during homeroom, for example).
The Independent Reading Program is in full swing. Students in ELA I, II, and III are reading books of their choices (that meet the guideline requirements that include appropriate reading level, nightly page requirements, and school-appropriateness) and many have started their BINGO WRITE writer's notebooks (due Oct. 21st). Writing prompts vary from traditional discussion prompts (discussion of the setting or describing the antagonist) to non-traditional prompts, such as one of my favorites: Create an imaginary Facebook account for one of the characters. Write a status from this character, then have at least three other characters respond. The status/responses must reveal the characters, plot, and conflict.
Look for more updates next time that will include our new ELA elective, Film as Literature.