Part of this outcome means that students brainstorm what they already know and anticipate the places they will go for their research. This is a huge struggle in grade 11 ELA for many of my kids, because they simply go straight to google without thinking about what they're looking for.
One of my artists in grade 11 decided that she was going to map out her thought process before beginning research. Below is what she produced.
When we started talking, I asked her about something that she was interested in. She said "anchors". In my head, I wondered "what in the world do I have to offer her in terms of knowledge to help her get to something she can research?"
It turns out, I didn't need to do that. She did it all on her own. In her representation of her thought process, she moved from thinking about anchors to boats, and that reminded her of sailors, islands and beaches, which reminded her of treasure, shiny objects, and compasses, time, the phrase 'x marks the spot' in a digital age (and what that means - hence the plug at the bottom of the earth), and finally the evolution of GPS devices.
All of this came together when she added her title: How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?
These pictures don't do this particular project justice, in person, the poster is phenomenal.
After her brainstorm session, she found some poster board and a classmate suggested she make it look like a map and burn the edges. Then, she asked me how to make it look old. Now THIS was something I could help with. I suggested using a tea bag and boiling water, dipping the tea bag into the water, and using it like a brush across the poster paper, before doing any of the drawing or burning. It worked! And turned out fantastic!
This is just one example of how some of my students have approached the outcomes. I would have never been able to come up with something like that. A significant aspect to this way of delivering ELA is the quality one-on-one time with students and verbally communicating their knowledge. Some of my students have a difficult time writing down their thoughts, but in a conversation, I can ask them questions to evaluate how well they can make connections, something they may spend a half hour writing a response for. I cherish that time. And more importantly, I cherish my students.
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