Does plot structure to the left look familiar to you?
Most grade schools and high schools review exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution through reading short stories and identifying the various parts.
Most grade schools and high schools review exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution through reading short stories and identifying the various parts.
After reviewing plot structure, I read the boys Jack and the Beanstalk, and we discussed plot structure in the story. The students then wrote their own 12 sentence stories, using 4 sentences for exposition and 2 sentences each for the rest of the plot parts. Almost every student showed he understood plot structure through their own stories. This showed me that we could move on to a new project to keep building on these writing skills.
After this more traditional route, I decided to try something new!
I assigned the students a music video project:
After this more traditional route, I decided to try something new!
I assigned the students a music video project:
While each student individually wrote initially, this project required students to write collaboratively.
I assigned the boys into groups with their friends. While some might say, "Doesn't this distract them??" I've found that students actually work harder with their friends (most of the time) because they can push each other without worrying about hurting feelings and also have similar interests.
In total, I gave them two and a half hours to work on this project in class. They also had a weekend to work on it outside of school if they did not accomplish enough during the week.
Here's how the project worked:
Step one: students wrote their stories using 3 sentences per point point. They also picked the school-appropriate song that they wanted to either act out or have in the background of their videos.
Step two: each group checked their writing with me. After being approved, they began planning out their video.
Step three: students filmed, uploaded to WeVideo, and then edited their videos. Finally, students uploaded their videos using WeVideo or YouTube.
Step four: we celebrated our videos and watched them in class. I send out all of the videos to each class, so they also get to see each others work.
Again, this project allowed students to do something different, get out of the classroom, and create for a larger audience than just our class. We also used technology and some new apps to step out of our comfort zones.
Below is an example that was turned in today:
I assigned the boys into groups with their friends. While some might say, "Doesn't this distract them??" I've found that students actually work harder with their friends (most of the time) because they can push each other without worrying about hurting feelings and also have similar interests.
In total, I gave them two and a half hours to work on this project in class. They also had a weekend to work on it outside of school if they did not accomplish enough during the week.
Here's how the project worked:
Step one: students wrote their stories using 3 sentences per point point. They also picked the school-appropriate song that they wanted to either act out or have in the background of their videos.
Step two: each group checked their writing with me. After being approved, they began planning out their video.
Step three: students filmed, uploaded to WeVideo, and then edited their videos. Finally, students uploaded their videos using WeVideo or YouTube.
Step four: we celebrated our videos and watched them in class. I send out all of the videos to each class, so they also get to see each others work.
Again, this project allowed students to do something different, get out of the classroom, and create for a larger audience than just our class. We also used technology and some new apps to step out of our comfort zones.
Below is an example that was turned in today:
These are our stories!