Classroom Contributions RW4
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Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal
Task
Core Task = E-mail Journals
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Gesa Roschek
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The task is to exchange e-mails with students of another Interlink
center. It usually takes one or two weeks before the students are connected. As
the students depend on how and how quickly their partners respond to their e-mails,
it has turned out that they hardly ever write more than 3 e-mails per week. So
I require them to write a number of additional journals about topics that are
connected with the readings and with other class or Interlink activities.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task =
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Chiara Comes
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = We were extremely busy with the Writing and Reading Tasks already so the journal was a more free writing type of thing. I asked them to write in their journal three times a week. They could write about their reaction to the novel, to other readings we did, to class discussions, or other things going on in their life. I collected the journals occasionally and without prior notice. They always had to have their journals with them, ready to be turned in if I decided so.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task = email learning journal
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Jane Blyth Warren
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term I tried using a learning journal via email with the students. The general idea is that students reflect on what they have learned and how they have learned it and communicate that to the teacher. Although I stated that they needed to write without prompting, only one student did so. If I sent a question out to the group then I generally had an 80% response rate. However, responding to their messages (with 15 in the class) turned out to be excessively time consuming-more than an hour a day! Due to the amount of time involved in this, I am not sure if I would recommend this idea.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task = E-mail
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Julie Vorholt
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW4 JOURNAL PROJECT: Email With two RW4 classes, we arranged and conducted a class-to-class exchange for about four weeks. We found that it was difficult at times to get Ss to complete their emails on time. There were also some difficulties in getting Ss to use a more formal writing style - perhaps because it's email? Ss also wrote (pen-and-paper) journals during and after class. At this point, I am leaning towards encouraging Ss to use email as a tool to communicate with classmates and me, but write journals in a medium other than email. Considering the demands of the TOEFL Writing Section, I think there's a great benefit in having Ss practice quickly responding to topics.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task =
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Debra Johnson
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = My eleven students were paired up to email students from another campus. It wasn't very successful as my students wrote about 80% of what they should have and the receipants often did not respond. I'm sure my students questioned why they were writing.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task = E-mail Exchange
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = John B. House
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students were asked to write e-mail letters on a daily basis excluding weekends to all their classmates and the instructor. The topics were left open, so students could choose whether to address a point that had been brought up in class that day, or share their weekend experiences, or ask a question about English. One exception was that they were supposed to apply at least one of those letters to the novel they had been assigned to read, "The Monkey Wrench Gang," by Edward Abbey. The idea was to have them briefly summarize the chapters they had read and make observations as well as ask questions. In addition to those tasks, I arranged to have my students exchange e-mails with another RW4 class from another Interlink school. The plan was to devote one letter a week to one of the students at the other school and forward it to me. The reality, once all the parameters had been laid out, was less than ideal. A few of my students did an excellent job overall, writing just about every day, and promptly responding to e-mails from the other Interlink school, plus writing about the novel. Others, who were less comfortable with computers, or who had no computer of their own, did not do a very good job. To compound matters, it seemed that e-mails from the other RW4 class did not arrive as regularly as I had hoped, and my students complained that they were not receiving responses to their letters. We discussed the e-mail exchange in class on a weekly basis throughout the term, and I used that time to comment on notable letters that were forwarded to me, plus students used that time to ask questions and expand upon what they had written in the e-mails. We also looked at a selection of problematic sentences that I had chosen from among the letters forwarded to me and attempted to correct or revise them. I like this task because it keeps the students writing on a regular basis about a variety of topics, but one must monitor it closely to ensure that everyone is doing his/part.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task = E-mail Journals
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Saussotte
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students were asked to write e-mail letters three times a week to all their classmates and the instructor. One e-mail weekly was to be about their learning experiences and perceived progress/problems. As has been my experience before, some students kept up with this and others rarely wrote. There were two excellent exchanges, where students were inspired to express their thoughts on the topics of God and Science. Interesting and valuable!
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Journal Task
Core Task = Study Questions
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Elise Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = In addition to attempting center to center e-mails, my students also wrote a daily journal to use during class time. At the beginning of the term, I gave each student a “blue book” (also called examination books). Every day I posed a study question for the next day’s class. The question usually connected to class discussion or to our readings. Because we were using American Ways, often we used the discussion questions at the end of each chapter as study questions. Students were also allowed to pose study questions. Each student was to spend between 10-15 minutes answering the question in preparation for the next day’s class. Their answer could be anywhere from a paragraph to a page. We wrote an answer to a study question every day. We then used the journals ( the “blue books” in which the study question answers were written) in a variety of ways. Sometimes we would only use our answers to assist us in class discussion. This technique proved very successful because everyone always had something to add to discussion since they had already thought and written about the topic. Sometimes we passed our journals around and gave some response to what we read. The responses were usually about two-three sentences written in the journal and included questions or personal comments about the content. Sometimes I took the journals up and read them during break time. I, as the instructor, began the term writing a journal as well and I passed my journal around with the students’ journals. While not everyone was always prepared, students were more prepared for class than in the past and seemed to enjoy writing the journals. I would definitely try this style of journal writing again.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Journal Task
core+task: Journal Blogs
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Tonia Frederick
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: This term, students created their own web blog for journal writing. First, each student must log onto www.blogspot.com and create a blog by setting up an account. They were required to make six entries per week. The entries could be in their own blog or in the other classmates' blog. I gave a list of all the blog names to each student in order for them to log onto each other's blogs. There is a link that allows the student to post a comment in someone else's blog. Their first entry, in their own blog, had to consist of an introduction of themself. The students really enjoyed their blogs. They all are quite involved in sending e-mails and searching the web, therefore they liked the technological side of the blog journals. They also put a lot of effort into their journals by adding pictures, stories, experiences, and information about their home countries. I would log onto the blogs weekly to assure they were keeping up and occassionally posted comments.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year
= 2000
Instructor = Gesa Roschek
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The novel is Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". The novel is split up
in 6 parts/chapters which have between 14 and 30 pages. The students are supposed
to read one chapter per week. Before reading they get a paper with 12-14 comprehension
questions, and for the first 3 chapters also a number of vocabulary explanations
and colloquial expressions. In class they are supposed to be able to answer the
comprehension questions and discuss additional questions characterisations, relationships
etc. Each week a different student is responsible for leading the discussion.
During the discussions draw a mindmap of the relationships of the characters on
a piece of Craft paper which is stuck to the wall. New ideas and developments
are added to the map every week. After finishing the novel the class will watch
the movie and compare both. When I did this novel before I found that most students
have a hard time with the vocabulary used in the descriptive parts and with the
spoken language. To give them some word aid for the first three chapters helps
to encourage them and to avoid using the dictionary. In the second half of the
book they have become familiar with the language.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Summer
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Gesa Roschek
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The reading task for this term was Steinbeck 'Of Mice and Men' (see earlier report). It turned out that two students had a hard time dealing with the informal language. However, with the help of vocabulary explanations for each chapter and after having read half the book they had got used to it and enjoyed reading the rest. As this class was very active in discussions we had a lot of those, especially after having seen the movie and comparing their own images with those in the movie.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000 Instructor = Chiara Comes
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = As usual, I gave the students a choice of novel from which to pick. I picked three American novels and wrote a brief description of each on a sheet of paper. Then I made the students vote on their first, second, and third choice. The novel with the most student votes would be the one we'd read. So, we ended up reading Breakfast at Tiffany's. I had taught this before so I already knew the material. We all read the same parts of the novel and then dedicated one whole day of the week to discussing that part. Before the discussion date, I gave each student a sheet with questions to answer about the characters in the novel, the facts presented, and the vocabulary. This sheet would be our guide for class discussions. To aid in the understanding of the novel, we also watched the movie part by part. Since the ending of the novel is quite different from that of the movie, we spent some time on explaining the differences between the two. Overall, I would say that they enjoyed reading this and learning about Holly Golightly (the heroine of the novel and movie).
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = academic reading
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Jane Blyth Warren
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students read a variety of academic-type articles on controversial issues dealing with such subjects as cloning, the death penalty, mandatory sentencing, doctor-assisted suicide, single-parent families, and stay-at-home fathers. In addition, the students read the book "DEAD MAN WALKING" and had weekly discussions and quizzes about it. After we finished reading the book we invited the head chaplain from the U.S. Penetentiary in Terre Haute to speak to our class about the death penalty. This penetentiary houses the only federal death row, so the chaplain has daily contact with death row inmates (including Timothy Mc Veigh), and will accompany his first prisoner to the death chamber as soon as November. The talk was interesting for the students and reinforced some of the messages in the book. Although none of the students changed their view on the death penalty (for or against), they all stated that they had strengthened their views considerably.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Julie Vorholt
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW4 READING PROJECT: NOVEL The class started this project from the first day. Since this was my first session at Interlink, I felt this project was the easiest to start on. Each S selected a different text (next session, we'll all read the same text) and wrote 4 summaries of different sections of their book. They kept a list of reactions throughout their reading and were allowed to use this list when writing an In-Class Essay. Ss also read from the course textbook, completed weekly timed readings, and read articles from the campus newspaper, among other texts.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = novel
Center = CSM
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = RASSULI
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Novel: The Pearl by John Steinbeck The class read the novel in one of the three hour make-up sessions. Each student was assigned a chapter to read during the period and to take notes. There was some confusion as to how the story ended. The students were divided into pairs to re-read the last chapter. They then discussed their interpretation of the ending. The gave an oral summary to their classmates and then each student wrote a summary over the entire book.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task =
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Julie Vorholt
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The selected text was "The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them." It follows a group of American high school students from 1994 until their graduation in 1998. The text is 280 pages long. However, because the book is divided into brief diary entries, Ss were able to read only 135 pages of entries that I selected, and still comprehend and enjoy the book. As hoped, all of them read at least an extra 20 pages and some read the entire book. The reaction was positive overall, as we used the content to generate class discussions and read (articles from the Internet) about topics mentioned in the book - including Columbine High School, Rodney King, and the Oklahoma City bombing. Initially, I wanted to refrain from reading checks but found them to be necessary and effective at keeping Ss on task, checking comprehension, and triggering discussion. Despite the positive reaction, I will not automatically use this book again. Next time, to have a more student-centered approach, Ss may choose from 5 or 6 texts. This will be one of their choices.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Carolyn Mayo
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term I gave the students reviews of three books, Maltese Falcon, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451, and allowed them to vote on their choice. They chose F451. I like this book and have used it successfully in the past. My usual method of discussion is to have the students submit questions in advance and then discuss them in groups in class. However, after their first discussion and quiz, I was amazed at how poorly they had done. I thought that perhaps they did not realize what I expected of them, so I made copies of good answers from past students and distributed them. They had their next discussion and quiz with the same results. I talked to them about the importance of trying to visualize as they read, and some indicated they were having trouble doing that. I read passages aloud, so they could practice. I also thought they might be having trouble with figurative language, so we did some extra work on getting the meaning of similes, metaphors, etc. I ! also asked them to write down the page number and paragraph of any particularly difficult passages, so we could discuss them. Some of the students did this, and some did not. We had our next discussion and quiz, but there were still problems. They seemed to be having trouble drawing conclusions from clues given by the author, so we discussed and worked on that. I also asked them to try to predict what they thought might happen next in the story and write a paragraph about it (trying to get them to be more active readers). Only a few students did this. Finally, at their midterm conferences, I discovered that several of them had rented the movie (which is a poor rendition and out-of-date) and decided that the book was totally irrelevant for them, so they weren't reading it. Another said it just wasn't interesting, and another that he didn't like to read even in his own language. I think that no matter what I had done to convince them of the importance of reading, it woul! d not have worked. Unfortunately, the students who were reading were not getting any help from the ones who weren't. We ended up with two groups on discussion day - one for those who had submitted questions, and another for those who hadn't. If anyone has any suggestions for dealing with a future situation such as this, please let me know.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Andersen
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Reading Core Task We chose to read the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Students were required to read around 50 pages a week, and to turn in reading journals once a week. Reading journals are a response technique where students write selections of text and page numbers on one side, and their reaction to it or definitions on the other side. In-class activities included a poster-sized mind-map to keep the characters in order, different types of role-plays, and contests. Sample role-plays included press conferences where students would assume the roles of different characters, scene re-enactments, and role-plays where students assumed characters and then interacted without the text. Contests included student-generated trivia challenges and Jeopardy-style games. At the end of the term, students used an afternoon to watch the movie version of the book after finishing the text. There was an essay test on the second-to-last day of class; I allowed students to use their reading journals on the test. Overall, students had mixed reactions to the book. Some enjoyed it quite a lot, and others felt that they didn't really relate to the characters. I highlighted some cultural situations from the book, and this was useful. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that any book is going to be objectionable to someone, and this wasn't too hard to "sell" in class. From a teacher's perspective, the book is challenging because of the multitude of characters, and forces students to use learning strategies to keep everything straight. The upside was that students who did the homework and participated well were rewarded the most. I would recommend this book as well because it comes with a free Ballantine study guide that can be found through the ILC resource page. This provided historical background, a plot synopsis, and a vocabulary list.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Carolyn Mayo
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the novel in RW4 this term, I used The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. Although there are a lot of colloquial expressions, which are difficult for the students at first, these did not seem to hamper their understanding of the main ideas. For the first few chapters, I provided the students with a vocabulary list, a "cheat-sheet" of idioms, but as time went on, the students needed this support less and less. The students created their own discussion questions each week, sending them to me by e-mail. I compiled and copied them for a one-hour group discussion in class. I did not intervene unless they were missing an essential point. The following day the students took a quiz. They really seemed to enjoy this novel. I think what they liked was that it is a story about contemporary American life. Also they can easily relate to issues about family. There are many good topics for discussion in this novel. Click for quizzes:
Chapters 1-2
Chapters 3-5
Chapters 6-7
Chapters 8-9
Chapters 10-12
Chapters 13-14
Chapters 15-17
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Patrick Nolan
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The Bean Trees
This term I repeated Carolyn Mayo's choice of Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees as our core reading task novel. I used Carolyn's weekly quizzes and reading schedule and devoted every Friday to discussion of the book and a quiz. This is one of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors and I thought the students would enjoy the story and its characters and find the reading level tolerable. However, I didn't anticipate how difficult the slangy nature of the conversational language would be or how it would obscure the meaning of many passages. I think it's safe to say that the students all comprehended the story's main ideas but were unable to appreciate the novel's nuances and humor. The craftiness of Kinksolver's use of language and her descriptive ability (the poetry in her writing) was mostly lost on these readers. Finding a suitable novel for this level student (and RW 4 is pretty diverse) is difficult because you both want to challenge them and give them something enjoyable to read. Care should be used in the novel choice. The more students have to use a dictionary to comprehend the story, the more arduous and less pleasurable the task becomes. Of course having to struggle to read a novel creates frustration and dislike for the material and this can affect a student's outlook towards reading English in general.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel Task
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = K. Andersen
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students read selected stories from A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain, and were asked to complete conversation questions for discussion every Tuesday along with a reading journal every Friday. Students often worked in groups to answer the discussion questions. A few students completed reading journals and reading notes in their own notebooks, and simply turned them in for consideration. There was a ‘novel quiz’ every two weeks, with questions taken exactly from the discussion questions handed out and answered in class. Despite this head start, some students had quite a bit of trouble with the quizzes. During the last week of class, students were given a final test which included discussion questions from the last two stories, but was not cumulative.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel reading
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Debra Johnson
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The novel we read was "The Water is Wide" by Pat Conroy. The story takes place on an island off the coast of South Carolina so it contributes to an understanding of the local culture (thirty years ago.) It has a high vocabulary, which the students didn't like, but his use of vocabulary added concreteness and humor. Story characters included uneducated children so their dialog was foreign to the students. We also watched portions of the video entitled "Conrack" which was different from the book in many ways. I assigned each student to write a description about two or three characters, then collected them and photocopied the description for distribution. Students read about eight pages a day and there was a daily quiz, usually consisting of just one question to which students were to write about a paragraph. We also discussed events, vocabulary, idioms and culture in the reading assignment.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Elise Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = On the first day of class, I gave my students short descriptions of three novels: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder , and The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Although these novels differed in length and each novel had various challenges, I thought they were at least somewhat equivalent and would be interesting and would provide topics of discussion. The majority chose The Maltese Falcon so we read that. I like giving the students a choice; but now that I’ve taught RW4 at least one, I’m not sure I will give them a choice each semester just because of time and preparation. In order to introduce the novel, we talked about different genres of writing and what we knew from our various cultures about mystery. We also talked a little about this time period (roughly the 1930s) and what we knew about this period in the U.S.(not very much). I also made mention of how this book held some importance as an originator of this genre. We spent a little time talking about “how” to read the book so that students wouldn’t obsess about the language or the detail. It took them awhile to get into the hang of this so I later began giving some students limits for the amount of time they could spend on each chapter. Before we started reading, I divided up the reading amounts and gave the students a schedule. They basically read about 40 pages each week. Each chapter is around 10-15 pages and I believe we took 6 weeks to read the book. Some scheduling conflicts affected this timing; and although it would be challenging, the book could be covered in 4 weeks. I alternated between having the students write summaries of each chapter to verbally summarizing the section that we read. The students later told me that they preferred writing the individual chapter summaries and I would probably do this more consistently for the next time. I also gave the students a theme or something to look for during each section. We allotted about 40 minutes - 1 hour each Friday for discussion and questions. This schedule worked very nicely and the students kept a record of parts that they liked or areas about which they had particular questions. Because of the way the schedule worked, I tested the students! on the first half on the mid-term and on the second half on the final. I would probably change this and give separate quizzes or separate formal writing assignments on the novel. We also watched the Humphrey Bogart version of the movie and all of my students preferred the book to the movie, though they were not specific as to their reasons. My overall feeling is that this task was fairly successful on a variety of levels. The students got experience with a larger piece of reading and got experience with a reading style a little less detail-oriented than usual. This last part was particularly difficult and important as my students were extremely conscientious this term. While we were reading the novel, I discovered, through discussion, that my students were enjoying the novel and many of them liked the attention to action and the various plot twists, but that it was challenging for most, especially at the beginning. By the end of the term, all of my students recommended that I teach this novel again because they enjoyed the challenge and that about half way through they were accustomed to the style and felt a lot more comfortable. My students also liked reading in a genre with which they were not familiar, even though many of them still did not like mysteries by the end of the novel. I would recommend using this n! ovel depending on instructor and student interest (and ability). Some resources that I used or recommended to my students: Denton, William. Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang. [Online] Available http://www.miskatonic.org/slang.html. The Maltese Falcon FAQ. [Online] Available http://www.ejmd.mcmail.com/-1.htm. Amazon.com has a short bio, excerpt and reading group guide that could give some suggestions and ideas. [While I was trying to decide on a novel, I used amazon.com a lot because it often has excerpts of novels and reading guides with questions are becoming more common.]
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Non-fiction
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Carolyn Mayo
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW4 Reading Task, Mayo, Fall I, 2001 Instead of a novel, I chose a nonfiction work called Crimes of the Century by Geis and Bienen, Northeastern University Press, 1998, for the reading task this term. This book includes a summary and analysis of 5 famous cases: Leopold and Loeb, the Scottsboro Boys, Bruno Richard Hauptmann (the Lindbergh kidnapping), Alger Hiss, and O.J. Simpson. All of these cases are interesting because they show how the criminal justice system was affected by the attitudes of the time. They are also interesting because they contain elements of doubt, which make for good discussion. In addition, many students enjoy reading about crime. The vocabulary is useful for understanding current news stories, as well as the court system, which is an important part of American culture. Finally, I knew these students would be taking an ISU class in criminology the following term as the sheltered course, and I thought this book might give them some background. Each chapter was 30 to 40 pages long, so in order to make the task more manageable, I required all students to read the first part, which was the summary. Then I divided the analysis part into 4 sections and assigned 2 students to read each section. Each week the students sent me 5 questions via e-mail, which I compiled for class discussion. The discussion groups were divided so that there was at least one person who had read each section. Then, I made 2 quizzes - one on the summary, which each student took individually, and one on the analysis, which the students took as a group. This process was rather time-consuming, but the group test forced the students to be able to explain their section to the others. I saw and heard a lot of communication going on. I included the individual part of the quiz to balance the group part because, of course, some groups had weaker members, which pulled down the scores. I also included questions that required their own evaluation of! various problems presented. It was a difficult book, but I think interesting enough to keep the students motivated.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Lynn Grantz
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term we decided to read "The Maltese Falcon". One change we made was to watch the movie first, and then read the book. The students said that watching the movie first really helped them to understand the book better. One student said that he would have had a lot more trouble understanding the book if he hadn't seen the movie first. They were able to visualize the characters while reading and able to spot differences in the film and the book. Interestingly, most of the students still liked the book better than the movie. The students all said that the book was a little difficult to understand at first, but that they enjoyed the plot. There was a lot of slang but the students were given the meaning of the slang before they read the chapter. This book worked well for RW4.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Group quiz
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = ron engel
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = rw4, reading task, fall II, 01 RW4 read To Kill a Mockingbird. As I have done with any novel that I have used in any RW class at Interlink, we have in-class discussions and some form of a writing activity (quizzes, letters between characters in the story, summaries of parts of the story). I wanted to spice-up the writing component that was related to the book. I divided the class into 3 groups with 3 or 4 students in each group. I did not tell anyone about the "whole picture". They were informed about what to do immediately before they were expected to do it. They never had any idea about the next step. I gave each group an assignment: Each group needed to create 10 wh- questions from a particular 5 chapters in the book. I told the groups that they wanted to create questions that could be answered in 3-4 sentences. This is the open book segment of the exercise. The questions needed to focus on some critical event or detail from the chapter that they were working on. In addition, and this is critical, each question needed to be preceded by an informative sentence that helps to illustrate why the question is significant. (Here is an example: Boo Radley is a mysterious figure who is feared and never seen in public. Why is Boo Radley feared and what indications do we have that that fear might be based on ignorance or malicious gossip?) (40 minutes) Next, one person from each group moved to another group, taking the questions with them. This new group was instructed to ammend or improve the 10 new questions before them. The two least interesting or useful questions were to be eliminated by whatever form of consensus the group could reach. (15 minutes) At this point, another group member takes the 8 remaining questions to the 1 remaining group that has not seen these questions. This group needs to reduce the 8 remaining questions to what they believe to be the best 6 questions. Then, each group is instructed keep the question sheet available along with one sheet of paper and one pen. Each question needs to be answered in detail in 3-4 sentences. If there are 3 people in each group, 2 answers need to be in the handwriting of each group member. It is very important that each person writes and receives only verbal assistance while serving as the "scribe". Of course, the team members are encouraged to talk to the person who is doing the writing. Dictionaries and books are not allowed during this phase of the operation. That is about it. (45 minutes) As you might imagine, variations on this activity are numerous. I have done this several times and it does seem that the class enjoys this interactive way of writing about the novel that they are reading. For me, the weakest link in this activity is individual assessment. Much of the work that gets turned in is a composite of the efforts of several people. A particularly positive feature of this activity is that students are put in a situation where they are monitoring the quality of their own and their teammates' work.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = novel Of Mice and Men
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = Marcia Lane
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW4 Report Marcia Lane Spring 1, 2002 For the novel, I chose John Steinbeck�s Of Mice and Men. There are six chapters; included below are the questions I formulated for each chapter, using them either as discussion or test questions. A final test is also included. We read 1-2 chapters a week and then watched the movie after taking the test, so it took 5 weeks of the term, plus the time spent in acquiring the books. I had the students buy the Signet edition, which cost about $6.00 in paperback. I ordered them from the local Barnes and Noble bookstore and had them within a week so I was able to order them when I knew the number of students. After the class completed the book, we watched the movie with Gary Sinise and John Malkovich�a recent movie which sticks fairly closely to the story. A difficulty to note and to warn the students about: the author writes dialogue in the way that uneducated workers of the Depression era actually spoke. When the students get the hang of this, it is easy enough for them to read the book but it does cause some difficulty in the beginning. I have taught this novel 3 times and it has always been well received. In every class some of the students have read ahead to complete the novel before the final chapter was assigned�always a good sign that they enjoyed the book.
Questions for chapter 1:
1. List examples of how George watches over Lennie. Be specific. Include the page numbers. Example:
P. 3 �Don�t drink so much water.�
2. List evidence of Lenie�s limited intelligence.
3. Show how George complains about Lennie and says life would be easier without Lennie.
4. The mouse is important. Why did Lennie carry a dead mouse in his pocket? Explain what Lennie had done previously to a mouse.
5. Why, according to George, are Lennie and George different from most farm workers? Describe their dream. This is also important and will be repeated in the novel.
6. Write a summary of the chapter.
7. Make a list of five slang words or expressions and describe their meanings.
Chapter 2:
1. Describe the boss.
2. What lies does George tell the boss?
3. Who is Curley? Describe and identify him. Describe his wife.
4. How does Curley seem to want to pick on Lennie?
5. Give examples of how George brags about how hard Lennie works.
6. Summarize the important events of the chapter.
7. As you understand them, what do these words mean? to buck barley/skinner/swamper
Chapter 3: 1. Slim gives Lennie a pup. George predicts Lennie�s behavior with the pup. Describe what Lennie did with the pup and how he got into trouble about it with Slim.
2. George explains to Slim why he and Lennie are together. Summarize those reasons here.
3. Slim says several times that Lennie isn�t mean. Find the page number of one of these and describe what made Slim say that.
4. Write a description of how Lennie got in trouble in Weed.
5. Candy is persuaded to have his dog killed. Later he says he should have killed the dog himself. Explain what you think he meant by this.
6. Candy suggests that he join Lennie and George in their dream to get a little farm. How does he persuade them that they should let him? Further details about their dream farm are given here. Explain how they think they can be successful running the farm.
7. Make a list of 5 slang words or expressions. Use them in sentences to show you understand their meanings.
Chapter 4
1. Crooks says that he isn�t welcome in the bunk house. What reasons does he give? Describe Crooks. (How did he get his name?)
2. How does Crooks give Lennie a scare?
3. Candy tries to get rid of Curley�s wife when she comes into Crooks� bunk house. What arguments does he use?
4. With what does she threaten Crooks? Notice how he reacts to her threat.
Chapter 5
1. Lennie kills the pup. What does he see as the consequence? How does Lennie act?
2. Lennie knows he�s in trouble now. How did he kill the pup? Why is he in trouble?
3. Curley�s wife comes. What are her arguments to Lennie about his talking to her? Quote Lennie (page nunber, direct quotation) when he tries to resist her.
4. She tells Lennie a secret. What is it?
5. Show how Lennie and the wife aren�t really talking to each other or listening to each other.
6. Why does Lennie touch Curley�s wife�s hair/ What happens because of this? DETAILS!
7. Who finds Curley�s wife?
8. What does George want do to to Lennie? Why? What does Candy want to do to Lennie and why?
9. Why does George give up the dream? What does Candy say about the dream?
10. What do the ranch hands plan to do to Lennie?
Chatper 6
1. Where does Lennie go? Why?
2. Describe Lennie�s visions (Aunt Clara and the rabbit).
3. How does the story end? Why does it end that way?
4. Who understands George?
Final exam on OF MICE AND MEN
Use a separate piece of paper to answer the following questions. Notice the points for each question so that you spend more time and write more on the questions which carry more point value.
A. The title Of Mice and Men comes from a famous quote. The quote is this: �The best laid plans of mice and men do oft (often) go astray.� Explain what you think the quote means and why you think the author used this title for the book. ( Think about plans that were made and how they went astray.) USE DETAILS to explain your answer. 20 points
B. There were some recurring themes in the book. Describe them and how the author used them effectively. BE SPECIFIC. 20 points
C. Explain why you liked or didn�t like the book. 10 points
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = E. Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = As I usually prefer to do when teaching novels, I gave the students a choice. I chose The Hobbit and The Maltese Falcon and brought in copies of the books as well as descriptions and excerpts. I included The Hobbit because The Lord of the Rings was currently in the theaters and many students had seen it and had expressed an interest in these books. I wanted to include The Maltese Falcon, which I had taught in two previous terms with both positive and mixed results, so I offered it as the second choice. I was concerned, though, at the perception the students had concerning this novel. It had been taught last term and the students for that term did not give favorable feedback to the other students. However, the previous instructor of RW4, Lynn Grantz, thought it was still worthwhile. So the students voted on these two selections. If the voting had been about half and half I had planned to teach both novels this term in reading groups (4 students working on each novel in a group together), but only 2 of the 9 students chose The Hobbit. So we only worked on The Maltese Falcon this term; and despite a rocky start, it turned out to be a fairly successful endeavor. The previous instructor recommended showing the film version at the beginning of the term rather than at the end. She had chosen to show the film before the students had read the book in order to get catch the students’ interests and to preview the material. On her recommendation, I showed the film early as well. Before we watched the film, though, we talked a little bit about mysteries and suspense and what we expected from them, including a possible timeline of activities. We also talked about detectives and heroes and what characteristics they generally had. We made a list and then periodically returned back to it as we read the book to compare our lists with what we were reading. Watching the film garnered mixed reviews from the students. Those who were in lower CS classes struggled with the film and were a little frustrated by the slang and then they started their reading with this frustration carrying over so it took a little time to get them over this initial hump. Those who were in higher CS classes were happy to have watched the film and felt like it gave them good background and foundation for reading the novel. Whether or not I will show the film before reading the book in the future will probably depend on the students. I feel like watching the film, with perhaps a little more preparation from the instructor, including perhaps portions of the script, can really benefit the more reluctant and less confident readers. For stronger and more confident readers, I really prefer not to show the film until after we have read the complete novel because I hate taking out any of the suspense and surprise from the novel. What happened this term, because we took so long to complete the novel, was that most of the students had forgotten what had happened in the movie by the time we got to the end of the book and were slightly surprised anyway. I had planned for us to work on the novel from week 2 through week 6, but it didn’t quite work out that way because of initial reluctance by some students. I spent quite a bit of time during the first couple of weeks distinguishing between extensive and intensive reading and outlining the benefits we were hoping to achieve from this task. We also spent a lot of time focusing on the idea that we didn’t have to understand “everything” exactly on each page. By the end of the term, most of the students felt proud of their accomplishments and I felt like this time at the beginning of the term was well spent. We ended up working on the novel from the beginning of week 3 to the beginning of week 9. I would definitely try to finish up earlier in the future and would maybe recommend working on it from week 2/3 to week 7/8. Instead of writing individual summary chapters, the students were asked to bring in about 2-3 important points from each chapter. I divided the chapters so that the students read about 40 pages each week and we would then talk about what we read every Friday. Before each assignment of chapters, we previewed the chapters by looking at the chapter titles, which were very telling, and by predicting what we thought might happen next. Also, instead of working in a large group to go over general content and thematic questions as I had done in the past, I divided the students into pairs or groups of three and assigned each group a chapter. That group was then responsible for telling the rest of us only what they felt like were the important occurrences or events in that chapter. We usually had each group write down their points on the board; and once all of the chapters were on the board, we talked about them as a large group with a member of the smaller groups explaining the points. Generally, thematic points came out of explanation of the important events and all of the content that I would normally cover through general discussion questions came up naturally from the students’ work and from the questions that came during other students’ explanations. The students gained a lot of confidence from this style because even though they each read all of the chapters on their own, they were able to have a support network when they were talking about the book in class. I would definitely try again this style of going over the novel, with other books, but I would also probably recommend teaching The Maltese Falcon again as most of the students were satisfied with this assignment and with what they had learned and accomplished through this assignment by the end of the term.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Eric Stalions
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The entire class read Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451. The students read an average of seven pages each day or 35 pages per week. Each Wednesday and Friday, 20 to 30 minutes were devoted to class discussion of the novel. The students were required to outline the plot of each reading before each discussion. Before the class discussions, they received four or five discussion questions over the latest readings, and then they worked in pairs to answer the questions. After 10 minutes, they would present their answers to the class for further discussion. The questions covered the following topics: setting, plot, character development, and themes. In addition, on both the midterm and final examinations, they answered several short-answer questions and wrote a five-paragraph essay concerning the novel. They also watched the movie adaptation of the novel at the end of the term. The students received grades based on their weekly outlines, their responses to the discussion questions, their participation in class discussions, and their written answers to short-answer and essay questions on the midterm and final examinations.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel Reading
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Julie Phillips Shoemaker
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students read The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Initially students wrote an essay on the expatriate life considering the postive and negative aspects, expectations and goals of expatriates. We also watched some parts of the "The Great War" in order to provide some insight into the "Lost Generation" and the mood of much of the world during the time of the book's publication. A good deal of class time was spent discussing the conflicts and characters. Students discussed in groups, pairs and as a whole class not comprehension questions but questions revolving around Hemingway's understatement, requiring them to infer, predict and read critically; they also discussed the symbolism of the bulls and steers especially in relation to the characters. We contrasted these expatriates with themselves. The novel contains 19 chapters with an average of 10 pages each, many less. These short chapters could be read in one night thoroughly and discussed the next day. Although it took time for the students to adapt to the author's writing style, they did argue and speculate on character motivation, symbolism and purpose with interest. They also provided titles for many of the untitled chapters. In this way they had to persuade group members based on their understanding. Another fun activity which enabled me to assess their comprehension was their planning of a "would be" film for the novel. In groups they chose the seven most important scenes to include in their production. They then presented these ideas to the entire class, and the class voted on the best. All of the above and their journal writing aided them in their five page critical research paper of the novel which took two weeks to prepare. This novel worked well for this level four class.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Reading a Novel
Center = UNCG
Semester = Summer
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = Haeseler
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the first time, I decided to take on a detective novel with my RW4 students and upon the recommendation of Lynn Bergschneider, our academic coordinator, I selected The Maltese Falcon which I can now wholeheartedly recommend. The novel by Dashiell Hammett (filmed later by John Huston starring Humphrey Bogart as main protagonist, Sam Spade)is a lot of fun to read and discuss due to the nonlinear structure of its plot. The novel is constructed as a jigsaw puzzle which has MANY pieces missing until the last two remaining chapters. What is particularly enjoyable is that the novel discussion involves a lot of speculation on the part of the reader. Our students came up with fascinating theories about what the missing pieces might possibly be. Also, the cardboard characters in the novel are not necessarily your stereotypical good and bad guys. There is even a gay gangster (played by Peter Lorre in the movie)which must have been quite revolutionary for the time (1930's). The novel also has lots of idioms and some archaic slang which the teacher needs to explain. Hammett wrote his detective stories based on his own experiences as a private detective at Pinkerton. After we finished the novel and saw the movie, I was fortunate to lasso a private investigator into coming to our class as a guest speaker. The students (and teacher) were in complete awe as he described his profession to us. All in all, The Maltese Falcon was a great novel experience for this level. We started the novel at the beginning of Week 2 and finished it at the beginning of Week 8. We covered a chapter a class and students took turns preparing discussion questions.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Team Task
Core Task = theme: obedience to authority
Center = CSM
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = Marcia Lane
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Theme used for reading and writing/levels 4 and 5 combined: obedience to authority Novel: Animal Farm by George Orwell Novel was read and discussed with emphasis on Orwell's criticism of totalitarian government. After finishing the novel, the class read "The Milgram Experiment" in Reader's Choice. Discussion here centered around the theme of obedience to authority. The pages which are cultural incidents created great discussion; the students began by giving "black and white" answers but when prompted with "it depends" they changed to "grey area" answers. This led to the discussion on obedience to authority. Comparisons can be made to Animal Farm-- could the animals have disobeyed the pigs? How? How is this like human nature? Students wrote in journals about obedience to authority and then wrote an argument essay on the topic. Tying the theme into all these types of activities was very successful and generated a lot of thoughts and discussion. Their argument essays on the topic were some of the best of the term, probably because they had a large amount of background information on the topic.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Allyson Newport
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the RW 4 novel I chose LET THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN by Mildred D. Taylor. It is the sequel to ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY which I used in level 3. Even though this was a children's book, it was actually quite difficult for the students. The dialect was hard, and the sentence structures and vocabulary were advanced. It was a long book also. Students had to read around thirty pages two times a week, but at this level they should be able to handle that much. The story line was very interesting and covered a lot of the racism problems that existed during the 1930's. It lended itself well to discussion. Most of the students enjoyed the book although there are always a few detractors. I think it would be worthwhile next time to use the first book ( ROLL OF THUNDER) with level 3, and then with the same group, use this sequel in level 4. The students who had read ROLL OF THUNDER but didn't get to read LET THE CIRCLE were really curious to know what happened to the family.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel: Of Mice and Men
Center = CSM
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Marcia Lane
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW 4 Core Task Reading: Novel: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck In this particularly low level class of four males, this novel worked well. Some difficulty was encountered with the vernacular vocabulary (gonna, live off the fatta the land) but much of this is what students hear in the real world so it was valid to learn it. This is what I did differently this term. I did more in-class preparation before each chapter, particularly vocabulary. I gave student comprehension questions before they read rather than after, to help with comprehension and to direct them to the main points. (This was different because in the past the discussion questions were done after the reading or were given as quizzes. ) I read some of the dialogue aloud so they could get the feel of it. And, like other terms, we watched the John Malkovich movie after we had finished. It is quite true to the story and can be rented at a local video store. In the future I might show it in parts, to make sure students understand what is happening in the novel. Prior to this novel, we had read Steinbeck�s The Pearl by tearing apart one copy of the book into chapters and each reading one chapter, then telling the group about it. It helped having two novels by the same author; both have surprise endings and students could compare. This made for a good discussion. It also gave them confidence to know that they had read two novels in a term!
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Elise Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students chose to read Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. [See Materials Recommendation.] The chapters in Tuesdays are divided into broad topics, such as death, marriage, and money. Another characteristic of the novel is that Morrie has many quotations or sayings that stand out and are repeated throughout the book. We combined these two aspects of the book in order to provide a focus for discussion. For example, we took the topic death and I brought in several famous quotations about death. Students brought in "death" sayings or proverbs from their cultures. The students then selected Morrie's sayings about death. We used these sayings to lead our discussion about Morrie's ideas about death and how these ideas might be culturally different, which is addressed by Morrie in the text. The students also took responsibility for interpreting the meaning of the English quotations and deciding if Morrie would agree or disagree with them. This activity allowed for lots of interest and contributions from all students. I would recommend, though, that the instructor have the students gather all of the questions instead of the instructor choosing some of the quotations. Students could do this with an introduction to Bartlett's and other anthologies of quotations. [Formal discussion questions can be found at randomhouse.com.]
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Allyson Newport
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the novel this term, I chose THE CRADLE WILL FALL by Mary Higgins Clark. The book is the right length (314 pages), and the vocabulary is challenging enough for this level. It is a somewhat easier book to read than some because the dialogue is written in Standard English. The slang words and phrases are useful for the students to learn because they are commonly used in every day speech. What is most difficult for the students is following the plot twists, but they became adept at predicting what would happen after the first few chapters. The students really enjoyed it, and there were some interesting discussions related to the plot, which focused on the use of different birth technologies and the social, legal and ethical issues surrounding these choices. I would choose this book again and would recommend it to others.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Novel
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Saussotte
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = 1984 by George Orwell
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
This term I wanted to do two things differently with the novel: First, give the students as much input as possible in the choice of the novel and second, relate the novel reading as much as possible to the research reading and writing. I took the students to the fiction section of the bookstore and asked them to look for books that seemed interesting and readable to them. As they found possibilities, I reviewed their book and either recommended it or not. (The students really seemed to enjoy simply browsing through these �real� English books.) After about an hour, we had narrowed the choices down to two: 1984 by George Orwell and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, both of which I had already read. We agreed together to divide into two groups with one group for each book. I realized that the theme of both books was closely related. In a nutshell, both books explore what�s wrong with the world and what we can do about it. Also, I knew that there were movies of each book, which is always a bonus, in my opinion. Both books also have ample web site materials both for teachers and students. Both books yielded stimulating and expandive discussions, in both individual and combined book groups, about types of government, benefits and disadvantages of governmental control, the current political situation in the world, man�s purpose on earth, career goals, protecting the environment, etc. The reading level was challenging for these level 4 students, and they spent a lot of time helping each other with comprehension in their separate groups, providing practice for another useful skill for independent learners. For the second objective, connecting the novel more closely with the research writing, I think these books served well for two reasons. First, both are written in a formal style. The vocabulary and sentence structures are quite similar to those found in formal academic writing, despite the fact that they are both fiction. Second, the global theme in each book was broad enough to include most of the students� research topics (Effects of Global Warming, Nuclear Technology, Water Quality) in at least a general way, giving added depth to our discussions.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Reading Task
Core Task = Adult novel
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2003
Instructor = Allyson Newport
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the RW4 adult novel, I used People of Darkness by Tony Hillerman. This book is set in the Southwest U.S. on the checkerboard reservation, mainly Navajo. It is the story of a Navajo police detective who is investigating, first, a theft, and then a murder. By the middle of the story, he and his friend become the targets of the killer. Interwoven into the plot line is a great deal of information about the Navajo culture and how it differs from the white man's customs. The vocabulary is very appropriate for this level as are the sentence structures. The students had to become familiar with the Navajo words used in the book, but after the first 30 pages, this was not a problem. The book is around 280 pages, and I had the students reading 20 pages twice a week. Tuesday was quiz day, and Friday was discussion day. What was interesting about the novel was the opportunity I had to introduce Native American ways to the students. They were very interested in learning about this and even found similarities to their own cultures. The students seemed to enjoy the book, and I would certainly use it again.
course: CS
level: 4
category: Reading Task
core+task: Novel
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2003
instructor: Julie Dean Jones
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: My students read The Giver by Lois Lowry. This was the book chosen for the local “VALPO Reads a Book!” project, which included a series of public book discussions, a theater production, and an appearance by the author (for more information, see www.valporeadsabook.com ). Our RW 3, 4, and 5 students read the book and participated in some of the events. We volunteered to host one of the discussions at a local caf�, and the combined-class RW 4/5 students prepared questions and led the discussion. Six people from the Valparaiso community attended, as well as fourteen students and teachers from INTERLINK. We read the novel during the first half of the term. Students wrote about and discussed the story in class, and then were tested over it on the midterm exam. Next, we began preparations for the discussion. Each student had an assigned role. One welcomed people and distributed name tags, one gave a brief introduction of INTERLINK, one gave concluding remarks and thanked people for coming, etc. Two students were the leaders and posed questions as needed. We had a lively discussion with everyone participating. Feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive. They enjoyed the story and the interaction with others. Community-involvement book-reading projects like this seem to be growing in popularity. Last fall Elise Harbin’s RW 4 class read A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines in conjunction with Northwest Indiana’s “One Region/One Book” program. I strongly encourage other centers to consider participating if there are opportunities in their communities.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Reading Task
core+task: Novel
center: VU
semester: Summer
year: 2003
instructor: Jennifer Shelton
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Although TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE has been used at ILC/VU before, this was my first time to teach it. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is very effective because the themes in the story are easily accessible and universal to human experience. My ultimate goal in teaching reading at any level is to get students to enjoy it. If they enjoy it, they will do more and more of it, which will increase all their English skills related to the task. I think students enjoy reading when reading triggers something inside: a memory, an experience, something they have learned before; or when something they read causes them to reflect on something or to feel something along with a character. At the RW 4 level, the students are really ready to start engaging with their reading in this way, and I feel that only when this engagement starts to occur (and this is true in both L1 and L2) that a good reader is born. So, my students are introduced to a coding system at the beginning of the term: E � experience, R � reflection, SR � something related like a story or proverb in their own culture, F � feeling, W � writing technique, C � culture. Students are encouraged to get the main idea as they read and to concentrate on having this �triggering� experience as they read. They mark their page every time one of these �triggers� goes off. The day of the discussion (some teachers choose Tuesday of each week), students come to class with two or three cards with a page number and a question that refers to a part of the section of reading for that week that triggered something in them. They ask a question related to their trigger and see if classmates then have any similar triggers (experiences, reflections, feelings, etc.) At first, students do not know each other as well and are getting used to this kind of thinking and sharing � two or three questions may be needed to fill up the time nicely. I usually spent an hour on the discussion each week. Later, though, as they get into it, they know each other and their English and critical thinking skil Core Task Report.ems ls are improving to accommodate deeper expression, one good question may be enough for each of five students to ask during an hour period. In fact, it turns out to be plenty. After the discussion, the students� cards are collected and are compiled with questions that the instructor has thought of as triggers when preparing for the section of reading. A day or two later, the list of reflection, experience, feeling trigger questions are distributed to the students for ideas for journals, paper topics, other discussions or further reflection and engagement with the reading.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Reading Task
core+task: novel
center: UNCG
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2003
instructor: Lynn Bergschneider
e-mail: [email protected]
We used The Maltese Falcon for the novel this term. The language is not too difficult (some period vocabulary and detective slang but otherwise straightforward) but the plot has many twists and requires some reading between the lines. It also keeps students guessing as to who did what and who will be the "winner". We read 4 chapters per week and had discussions and quizzes. They also wrote reaction papers and character analyses. Before we began reading the book (while it was on order), I brought in a NYT's article about the "New Gumshoes" which provided a lot of good vocabulary and told how todays private eyes were different from the traditional ones (like Spade). I also had students read mini-mysteries from Reader's Choice and work on the solutions together. And, since it was around Halloween, we also read North Carolina ghost stories and wrote our own. All of this was good for preparing them for the mystery genre and getting them in the mood for guessing motives and piecing together events and clues. Even the students who were not big fans of mystery/detective books were engaged in the discussions and activities, so I think it is worthwhile.
course: RW level: 4
category: Reading Task
core+task: Academic Vocabulary/Reading text
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Nadine Nicholson
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: This term I used the Longman textbook, Focus on Vocabulary, as a supplementary text to my class, having been warned that the incoming class had weak vocabulary skills, and knowing how critical they are for academic success at the advanced levels. The entire class and I enthusiastically supported the use of this book, students reporting that it was very helpful in teaching them techniques in really learning new words, and I for that reason plus the exposure each chapter gives students to reading authentic college textbook excerpts. During the term, I had students do the entire introductory chapter, followed by approximately one chapter a week, done mainly for homework outside of class, then checked over and discussed in class for comprehension and assessment. The only drawbacks I see to use of this text are that there is not enough time within the RW4 curriculum or 9-week Interlink sessions to cover a majority of the text and the teacher�s edition only provides one assessment test per 4 chapters. Nevertheless, given the importance of the material, its pedagogically sound presentation, and the students� unabashedly enthusiastic support of it, I strongly recommend that teachers in both RW4 and RW5 consider its adoption for use with improving academic reading comprehension, academic vocabulary, and accurate word form choice.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Reading Task
core+task: Runaway
center: UNCG
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: S. Macha
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: In RW 4 this term, we read Canadian writer Alice Munro�s bestselling book of short stories entitled Runaway. See the book description below. Book Description The incomparable Alice Munro�s bestselling and rapturously acclaimed Runaway is a book of extraordinary stories about love and its infinite betrayals and surprises, from the title story about a young woman who, though she thinks she wants to, is incapable of leaving her husband, to three stories about a woman named Juliet and the emotions that complicate the luster of her intimate relationships. In Munro�s hands, the people she writes about�women of all ages and circumstances, and their friends, lovers, parents, and children�become as vivid as our own neighbors. It is her miraculous gift to make these stories as real and unforgettable as our own. I found the stories in Runaway to be a great level for RW 4 students. Not only does Munro use advanced vocabulary that demands that students stretch to understand meanings of words from context (and I do ask them to first read the stories without consulting their dictionaries), but her writing style also almost forces readers to think about each story in its entirety to fully understand it. Although after reading the first story the students complained about their inability to understand the story�s timeline, with time they not only began to understand Munro�s style, but also fully enjoy it. Overall, these stories served as a springboard for wonderful, in-depth discussions about life, love, and literature.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Reading Task
core task: Summarizing
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Laura Underwood
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: In the process of assessing students' reading related to the textbook, we find that tests often evaluate how well students can study and recall information. Inevitably, tests demonstrate what students remember from discussions and related activities. In order to provide authentic tests on reading comprehension, we began each week with a "cold-read" quiz from the upcoming chapter. The quizzes tested areas of context clues, summarizing, paraphrasing, inferences, and analysis. The cold read quizzes demonstrated the student's understanding of a selection, and served as an introduction to the week's content. Using American Ways and Newsweek, students were challenged to identify and utilize new vocabulary.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Essay-writing
Center = VU
Semester
= Summer
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Gesa Roschek
E-Mail
= [email protected]
Report Text = The students are assigned to
write two essays and one summary. The essay-writing is based on 'Transitions'.
1) Comparative/contrast essay: Revising the techniques of generating ideas, planning
the essay, drafting and revising the paragraphs, editing the essay. In this part
of the class I find the exercises given in the book very helpful, especially the
peer response.
2) Argumentative essay: Focussing on the genre of argumentation
and how to compose this kind of essay. The book is useful as an introduction.
3) Summary: The students are supplied with the guidelines for writing summaries
and summarize a newspaper article.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini Research Paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Chiara Comes
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students at this level had to write a mini research paper. Having taught this level before, I changed a few things from the first time I taught it. I decided that I was going to put more emphasis on the gathering of the information instead of on the actual writing of the paper. Most of their grade was going to be calculated by the research they did, the paraphrasing of materials they presented on index cards, and the outline form they wrote. The actual paper was worth only about 20% of their final grade. I think that by doing so, they were "forced" to pay more attention to the researching process and therefore they had to avoid plagiarism. Research is boring .... so, we only focused on that once or twice a week. After the first set of index cards (where they took notes), I collected them and gave them feedback. A lot of them changed their topic once they began researching because they realized that there was either too little or too much information. This worked out well because I made sure that we started this project early on in the session. If I were to do it again, I would try this "method" again because even though it's tedious it was also effective in accomplishing what I had in mind and what would be later on helpful to the students.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = mini research paper
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Jane Blyth Warren
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students started the mini-research paper project by deciding a topic. They then went through an orientation at the library on searching for books and articles. In addition, they attended a workshop on writing a paper using APA style that was offered by ISU's Information Technology department. The students worked on paraphrasing, summarizing, citing references, and synthsizing the information into a clear research paper. Their final products were 4-5 pages in length.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Paper
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2000
Instructor = Julie Vorholt
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = RW4 WRITING PROJECT: MINI-RESEARCH PAPER Each S completed a 3-5 page research paper, with a separate title page and works cited page. Ss selected their own topics. They completed the entire project following a process-oriented approach. For example, Ss completed a Library Orientation, learned about "thesis statements", generated tentative thesis statements, narrowed their topics, etc. Ss worked in the Library during 2 class periods for additional help in locating sources and worked in the Computer Lab during 2 class periods for help with typing and formatting. Ss learned how to use MLA format and avoid plagiarism. Ss also completed other Writing Assignments, such as an In-Class Essay.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Paper
Center = VU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Julie Vorholt
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Students completed the same activities covered during the previous session. Curricular revisions that I made included accepting and responding to more drafts, and having students give more peer feedback. They also spent more time practicing summarizing and paraphrasing. Students were required to submit two rough drafts and could choose whether or not to submit a 3rd draft. Each draft had a cover sheet (given to Ss before they turned in their work) which listed the skills to be checked. For example, the 1st draft focused on the most basic information. The 3rd draft was more extensive. Then, another (4th) draft was shared w/a peer and w/me in order to receive editing feedback. I carefully corrected a section of each student's paper. This was an attempt to "notice the gap" between their writing and the most formal, correct writing. The intention was awareness-raising, rather than encouraging perfect editing. I feel that this activity was very successful for students who attentively completed the process. Their final copies were much better than their initial drafts.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research Paper
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2000
Instructor = Carolyn Mayo
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Learning to write a research paper was a skill most of the students wanted to know, so this core task was fairly successful. I used several steps leading up to a 3 to 5 page, documented paper at the end of the term. The first step was actually an argumentative essay based on a controversial topic we had read about in class. This was written first with no outside support. Then after writing several drafts, I told the students to find an article from a database, such as Proquest, that supported their point of view. In the meantime we worked on paraphrasing. Then I showed them how to insert a paraphrase and a quotation in their essay and cite them correctly. Doing this was the next step. When we began the actual research paper, one of the first steps was a library orientation. The library staff does this very well. I required that students use at least three different types of sources. They had to actually go into the library to find something, not just g! et articles from databases. Also very few of them were familiar with encyclopedias, so they learned about them. They went through the usual steps of surveying information, narrowing their topics, making bibliography cards and note cards, which I checked. They made an outline from their note cards. I also used a good exercise from a book by Lipp in which they had to introduce and explain three quotations (or paraphrases) to make a good paragraph. In other words, they learned to frame their information from outside sources. The next step was to write just one section of their paper (about one page). After I checked this, they wrote their first draft, including their reference page. This step was followed by individual conferences. Finally, they write their final draft. This process worked very well for me.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Paper
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Andersen
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Writing Task Students had to complete two essays as warm-ups. Research techniques were taught in connection to the novel task, as students were asked to first create an annotated paragraph on Chinese Immigration. These first assignments were carried out in weeks one through five, and the remaining weeks were devoted to the paper. Outlines were due in week six, rough drafts in week seven, and the finals in week eight. We spent quite a bit of time through supplemental homework working on paraphrasing and citations, including proper form. Through these weeks, the teachers decided that a reference that showed research paper citation form was appropriate in level four instead of just level five. Students all completed two personal conferences to discuss revisions before their final was due. Final products were reasonably well organized, and all students attempted citations and bibliographies to differing levels of success.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Paper
Center = CSM
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Saussotte
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This class struggled with the mini-research task, partly because of weak writing skills and partly because only one did assigned homework regularly. The students worked on paraphrasing, summarizing, citing references, and synthesizing the information into a clear research paper as usual, but seemed to need much time to organize and express their thoughts and paraphrase, which left little time left over to cite references or write clearly. In the future, I would do more research paper reading for examples in this situation.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini Research Paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Dean Daniel
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = All students in the class read the novel Dead Man Walking by Helen Prejean. It served as the centerpiece for the research paper topic: an aspect of capital punishment. Students chose their own specific topics, such as juvenile death penalty, public execution, Death Row conditions, and wrongful execution. Research Paper Presentations: In the last week of the term, after the research papers had been completed, RW3 students were invited to attend the presentations to learn about capital punishment as well as the research paper process. RW4 students gave summaries of their research and then RW3 students could visit each student's "booth" to see the research paper, note cards, bibliograpy cards, and sources, and ask questions about doing a research paper and the student's topic. For the RW3 students it was a good preview of the work they'll do in the next level, and for the RW4 students it was a chance to share what they'd learned and receive some positive feedback on their hard work.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research Paper
Center = ISU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Patrick Nolan
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Research Paper The students wrote three papers in this class as preparation for a fourth three to five page research paper. The emphasis on the first three papers was on learning to summarize and paraphrase what they had read or watched. The first paper was a short summary of an article on teen suicide written by a Japanese student. The second paper was a reaction to an article entitled Betting the Planet, taken from a book sponsored by the UN called Material World. The third paper was another reaction paper based on an episode of Family Law dealing with interfaith marriage and a child custody battle. Students were then instructed to choose a topic for a research paper that was to be written in one of three argumentative styles. Essay examples were studied and discussed. They spent a number of class hours in the computer labs finding suitable resources (four were required - one web site only) to give them general knowledge about their topics as well as support for their arguments. Time in class was also given for reading through the research to narrow their topics and find suitable evidence. I was able to give lots of individual help to students, but mostly they accomplished these tasks on their own. This is the most time consuming aspect of the research paper, but ultimately the most valuable: the process of researching. The all-important APA formatting style was then introduced with examples provided and references in the class text packet and hand outs. The first draft was turned in and I met with each student individually to go over their papers, stressing in this order: global revisions, correct APA formatting and mechanics. The papers turned out well and provided interesting reading on topics ranging from the death penalty to same-sex marriages to mandatory school uniforms. Hopefully the students will now have a good grasp of the American academic style and be ready for either ISU or CS 5.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research Paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Debra Johnson
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = In about the second week I take the students to the library where a librarian conducts a workshop on research via computer and library use. After the librarian leaves, students have time to search Info Track or Lexis Nexus for articles that they might use in their research paper. It's OK if they haven't decided on a topic; the main thing is that they learn how to use databases. It's common that their focus will shift as they haven't finished a thesis or outline as yet. Students can then print out articles, save articles on diskette or email articles to themselves. The next day I take the students to a computer lab and instruct them in MLA format. I use a computer terminal that projects my screen and I walk them through the steps one by one. In addition, they receive a handout with each step. They bring diskettes and save their work on it so that all they need to do when they actually begin to write is to just open what they saved. On this lab day they simply set the margins and spacing, insert header with page number, write their name, the teacher's name, course and date. Secondly, they format the Works Cited page. They learn how to create a hanging indent and enter citations in MLA format. I ask them to bring the articles that they had found from the previous library visit and I show them how to enter that article on the Works Cited page. I do this via a projected screen. After I do one, they enter the second and third article that they found. I roam from student to student to assist if necessary. Lastly, I ask students to print and turn in their temporary Works Cited page. During our nine week term, I ask for a revised Works Cited every few weeks. This repetition helps reenforce knowledge of formatting, shows progression of research, and saves students time from having to do all at the end of the term when the paper is due. I won't go into my entire process; these are my tips to get you started. The other concern is getting the students to establish a thesis and outline soon!
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Paper
Center = VU
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2001
Instructor = Elise Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = One of the previous instructors of RW4 had gone through different versions of this task and having come from RW5, I was unsure how to mediate my expectations of “research” for this level. I also knew that I wanted to have the students go beyond researching and at least write a little. What I finally did was a combination of Julie Vorholt’s I-paper (I think is what she called it) and of my own expected requirements and skills from RW5. What follows below is the handout I gave my students. I deleted the 3 week schedule, which included the process (topic selection, thesis, etc.), but included everything else as it explains fairly well what my expectations and requirements were. Mini-Research Paper Handout As an introduction to academic writing, we will go through the process of researching a topic and then writing a short argumentative paper. During the research and writing process, you will either develop or improve upon the following skills: reading and comprehending academic material, taking notes, paraphrasing, summarizing, and using MLA citation to document sources, writing clear thesis statement and topic sentences, organizing information from your notes into a logical flow that supports your argument, introducing and concluding a topic and your argument, developing your ideas and points, using transitions to promote coherence and flow and revising and editing. Requirements: You must keep a folder as you are researching. This folder should contain everything you use to do your research (articles, notes, note cards, drafts, feedback from peers and instructor, etc.). You will turn in this folder every time a draft is due. You should have at least 3 sources. They should be varied and should not all be one type of source or from the same place or author. You should have at least 25 note cards. You should turn in at least 3 drafts and should provide 2 copies of each draft. Each draft must include a title page, about 3-5 pages of content, parenthetical citations within the paper, and a works cited page. You should participate in peer reviews for each draft. Notes: Every time you turn in a draft we will do peer review during class that day. I will meet with each of you during this process to give you specific help and suggestions. We will spend some class time in the library. Remember that this assignment is just an introduction to research. Every aspect could be done much more in-depth. I strongly encourage you to come to my office hours or to make an appointment to talk about or to get help or feedback at any time during this process. You may write as many drafts or portions of drafts as you want. You may also send writing to me via e-mail for feedback at any point during the process. End of handout The handout shows my expectations at the beginning of the term, but actually I didn’t follow these guidelines very strictly. I was rather loose with page numbers and the number of note cards, but I found that with this looser style, most of the students greatly exceeded my expectations. We had a great library orientation given by one of the university’s instructional librarian. We probably had that the 4th or 5th week in the term, but didn’t actually begin the process until the end of the 5th week. Total, we spent the last three weeks on the paper. Most of this time period we spent on paraphrasing and continuing the organizational skills we had been developing during essay writing. We also continued working on summary writing, as that had been our focus through the first part of the term and as my students still needed more practice. Overall, the research and the paper writing went well, though it was rather challenging for some of the students. My main concern was with the students who were over-achievers and how I can distinguish this paper enough from the RW5 research paper to keep them interested. It’s possible that instead of having the students write a position/somewhat argumentative paper I might keep it strictly informative for the next time, though I feel that supporting arguments can be difficult and the extra time spent on this is worth it.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini-Research Project
Center = VU
Semester = Summer
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Elise Harbin
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This term I tried to differentiate more between this research paper and the one done in RW5. Also, after having little success with previous tasks because of lack of motivation, lack of effort, and inconsistent homework, I tried to make my expectations a little more realistic and tried to make the research process more structured so that I could easily monitor and track the process and development of each student. In order to do this, I made our end goal the first draft of an argumentative paper rather than a multi-draft paper. I hoped that this would introduce students to the research process and give them a chance to research and write without making the process too difficult and time-consuming. I also hoped that this would help the students to focus more on the process rather than the product, something that I had been having difficulty getting the students to adjust to this term. We worked on this task the last three weeks of the term. We had an excellent library and research orientation given by the Instructional Librarian at the Moellering Library here at the University. Prior to the orientation, the students and I had talked about the different types of research papers and about the writing and research process involved. We had also looked at and analyzed different examples of research and different types of a thesis. The students had possible topics before the orientation. After the orientation, we spent time in the library narrowing down the topics and developing a list of possible sources. The students took a little longer than is normally necessary to get adjusted to using the library and databases. I had given the students deadlines for a possible thesis, a tentative list of three sources, at least 15 note cards, a tentative outline, and a first draft, among others. I also had the students keep a research folder so that all of their work and so! urces were together and could be looked at and consulted. While we spent some class time in the library, they were responsible for doing much of the research outside of class. We spent time during the class working on summarizing, paraphrasing, outlining, citations, and plagiarism, as well as introductions, conclusions, and general organization skills, much of which we had been working on throughout the term via a variety of assignments. While some students really benefited from this process approach and seemed to learn a lot that they could incorporate into their lives beyond Interlink, most of the students did not fully benefit from this task for the same reasons they did not benefit from the reading task - lack of motivation, effort, and inconsistent homework. One way to counteract this for the future might be to introduce the research project earlier in the term and have the students meet deadlines for the research project throughout the term. Also, I think that this! moderated approach is worth trying again, but depending on! the prior experience of the students I might introduce both argumentative and informative research papers, but focus on informative research since students unfamiliar with doing research often find this style more comfortable in the beginning.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2001
Instructor = Haeseler
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = I see RW 4 as a very crucial bridge between pure essay writing and an academic research paper. Students have serious problems with paraphrasing, summarizing and synthesizing information from sources and then using that information to support a purpose and/or opinion. For this reason, I believe that students should have as much opportunity as possible to practice these skills. Therefore, I have my RW4 students write TWO three to four-page research papers. The first research paper is a report and the second research paper is argumentative. The first research paper should be completed at the end of four weeks so that the teacher has the opportunity to evaluate the student's progress during the mid-term conference. The second research paper should be completed at the end of the eighth week. The final paper should be done in class the ninth week using the novel as the secondary source. This term we used "shark attacks" as the topic of 1st research paper which was a report. For the argumentative paper, we chose the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan (students gave either arguments pro or contra). Coincidentally, both topics had to do with "attacks." Because students are very confused about the fine lines of good paraphrasing and unintentional plagiarizing, all students write about the same topic. We go through all the steps together. The students go to the library and choose an useful article which they photocopy X times for each person in their group (I divide the students into groups of four or five. Otherwise, it gets too unwieldly). All students must give me a copy of their article. The rule is that each group can only use the sources they have found. This is a very USEFUL tactic. 1)It helps the teacher to recognize whether a student has plagiarized or misunderstood an article. 2)It forces students to be more aware of and responsible for the quality and quantity of the sources they use. Writing short "group research papers" is an effective tool for students to learn and practice the process of writing an academic paper and for the teacher to follow and evaluate that process effectively.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = Cheryl Howard
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students in the class wrote three short research papers. The first one was a three to five page paper, and everyone in the class had a similar topic. This allowed them to start becoming familiar with the format of a research paper (we used MLA) and to cite outside sources. The second writing was a one to two page essay about one of two topics assigned to them, giving them further practice using MLA format or include their source citations embedded in the paper. Finally, the students wrote a five to seven page paper about a topic that they chose themselves. For the first research paper which the students wrote about a similar topic, they chose fast food. Most argued that it is not good for people’s health, and only one took the view that it is convenient for today’s society. Also, most used McDonald’s as their focus as it is one of the most well-known and popular fast food restaurants. The students helped each other to do research for this topic and shared ideas and viewpoints about content. They were also able to help each other understand the format of writing a research paper as they began to take the same steps in the process. After the paper had been turned in, a manager of three McDonald’s restaurants in Greensboro came to the class to speak to the students to answer any questions that they had. The manager had been emailed the students’ questions ahead of time, and then he came ready to answer those questions and give more explanation of main points. He spent the class time doing so, and the students took notes and gained information that would be able to be included in their research paper. When the students were given their research paper back, they were asked to rewrite the paper to make corrections and also to include the information that the McDonald’s manager had given that would fit into their paper as support or opposition. The students were then able to learn how to cite a personal interview and to add information into an already-written paper. The students enjoyed learning more about their research topic after they had already done some work digging into the topic and were familiar with the topic and its issues. They probably would have also benefited by listening to the outside source before they had finished their first draft, but instead, they had to force themselves to modify their writing in the rewriting process in order to cite information from a personal interview.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini Research Paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Julie Phillips Shoemaker
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Along with writing two short research papers, students were also given a two day research paper test. I provided the three articles all centered around "Tobacco Litigation"; they were given the following prompt and instructions: "Who is more responsible for smokers' health, tobacco companies or individual smokers?" 1. brainstorm your arguments for/against 2. annotate support given in the articles 3. go back to your original planning to outline your paper Your paper must include: -a summary of the situation -a thesis statement -pro arguments -con arguments -evidence from the articles -your own arguments that go beyond those mentioned in the articles -appropriate MLA referencing for quotes and paraphrasing -works cited page Reread your paper for clarity, organization, accuracy, logic More original arguments receive more credit! Grading was measured by the above standards. This also enabled me to compare their in class research paper writing to their work done outside of class, a good reliablity check. This task worked well and was a productive way to end the term.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Newsletter/Mini Research Paper
Center = CSM
Semester = Summer
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Laurie Cribb
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = My summer class had two students who were not technically oriented: one television sports director and one humanities major. In order to use the skills from the writing research paper task, I had them produce an in-house newsletter for INTERLINK at CSM. The project took three weeks of constant work. The skills used included: research, organization, critical thinking, editing, outlining, thesis statement and support, citing references, writing memos, drawing conclusions. In addition, they learned how to use the MS Word program efficiently, and how to negotiate a print-job professionally. This real-world project ended in a final product that they were very proud of: an 8-page folded newsletter with current information about the Denver region, European travel and an interview. The topics were chosen by the students, but were of interest to all students at Interlink and the local community. They included: The effects of atmospheric pressure baseball in Denver, athletic training in high altitude, travel in Europe by train, the benefits of the Euro for travelers, and an interview with an INTERLINK student/environmental engineer who has worked throughout Latin America on special projects, including with the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon. I would recommend this as a project because of the skills utilized and the motivation of producing a beautiful final product.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Research paper
Center = ISU
Semester = Fall
Term = 1
Year = 2002
Instructor = Allyson Newport
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = For the research paper, instead of having the students work on a section outside of class and turn it in, I decided to have them bring their sources to class and write a section during class. I did this so that I could be sure they were doing their own work and so I could help them if needed. Unfortunately, they were unable to write much (a short paragraph), so I wasn't able to really judge how their paper was going based on this. I would definitely not do this again.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task =
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2002
Instructor = Lynn Bergschneider
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = This is what I did to help students understand the idea of refuting/conceding an argument. The class was having trouble with this, so I got a letter to the editor about a subject I knew they would feel strongly about - moratorium on student visas. They read the letter and identified the "thesis". Then we discussed what we thought his main concern was (i.e. fear of terrorists). In pairs, they brainstormed how they would refute this. They had to write it in the form of a refutation and/or concession - clearly/fairly stating what they thought his main concern was and then giving reasons he was wrong. When discussing their ideas it became clear which arguments answered his concerns and which didn't (i.e. talking about the money foreign students provide US universities wouldn't change his mind a bit). The next day, I brought in a NYT's editorial which gave their refutation to this general fear of foreigners. We looked to see which were the same/different from the arguments students came up with. It was also a good example of how effective concessions are because the tone was dramatically different in the NYT's article than the letter to the editor. It also showed the importance of logical argumentation and concrete support. I did this after we had been working with refutations and students had problems, but it might be a good way to introduce the idea as well.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Mini research paper
Center = UNCG
Semester = Spring
Term = 1
Year = 2003
Instructor = Ron Engel
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = Rw4 Writing Task: Mini research paper This term, rw4 wrote 2 reasearch papers. Each of these papers were 4-5 pages long and the students were told what kinds of resources would be acceptable (1st paper: books, magazines, newspaper articles, scholarly journals, NO web site sources; 2nd paper: all of the above with web site sources permitted). Each of these papers was required to have 4-6 entries on the works cited page. Finding and using the appropriate source material did not seem to be much of a problem. However, despite providing the students with a sample MLA research paper, despite spending class time going over the particulars of the MLA format that need to be understood, and despite directing the students to specific areas of a web site that provides instruction in the use of the MLA format (http://owl.english.purdue.edu is a particularly good one), the first set of papers that I received were far from acceptable with regard to observing the demands of an MLA research paper. When going over these papers, I provided the students with specific notes regarding the correct use of the MLA format. Their revised papers were still not really acceptable regarding adherence to the format. I think we may have found a nearly foolproof way to to overcome what should be "the least of our problems". I collected the first draft of their second research paper and the problem was prevelant. I returned their papers to them and told them that we were going to review every detail of the MLA format. Their job was to take notes ON THEIR RESEARCH PAPER ITSELF and indicate errors and corrections on their own papers. I told them that would not be graded on errors that they might have made, but that they would be graded on their being thorough in their notetaking, their error identification, and, ultimately, on their error correction. This did the trick. The second drafts of this second paper were far better, at least with regard to the specific issue at hand. Having to identify and correct their own problems seemed to make it extremely easy for them to follow the prescribed format. Many of the classrooms at UNCG have opaque projectors and that was a valuable tool because, with this projector, I was able to direct their attention to elements of the MLA fromat that they were missing or choosing to ignore. They were able to make direct and focused comparisons between what they did and what the handbook provides as a correct example. The book that we used, the 6th edition of the Scott, Forsman Handbook for Writers, has direct and clear instruction that tell the writer exactly what is and is not acceptable.
course: CS
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: Pre-research paper exercise
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2003
instructor: Haeseler
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Since the students had not had any practice at paraphrasing and summarizing from a text, I thought it a wise preliminary step for them to first write a comparison/contrast essay based on two newspaper articles. Each article spoke about a case in which a professional (an academic and a historian/writer, respectively) had been exposed for committing plagiarism. This proved to be an ideal exercise for students to "get their feet wet" in writing research. By comparing the two cases, students learned how to take information from an article, paraphrase it and then interweave the information into their essay to support their idea. The students also practiced using the MLA style of documentation for citing information (including a short works cited page). They also learned when it was appropriate to use a direct quotation as opposed to a paraphrase. Of course, writing about plagiarism had the twofold benefit of impressing upon students the seriousness of such an act, whether intentional or unintentional. The students were astounded by the reaction of the academic when confronted by his students and the dean of the school. Even though he had committed plagiarism unintentionally in a lecture, he stepped down from his post as departmental head. We worked on the paper for one and half weeks. Afterward, the students got feedback on it before we began working on the first short research paper which took three weeks. At midterm conference time, I was able to give students feedback on their progress thus far. It has been my experience at this level, that students need as much practice as possible with regard to incorporating and acknowledging sources to support their ideas in academic work. Writing a "pre-research paper" essay to introduce those skills made a big difference in their ability and success at writing their first research paper.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: research paper
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2003
instructor: Marcia Lane
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: RW4 IN an effort to help students realize the quantity and quality of work they will do at CSM, I took them to class presentations, which were being judged, of the CSM Epics course. This is a course all freshmen must take; during the presentations the groups of students give oral presentations and present their written reports also. Our focus during this visit was on the written report. The ILC students checked out the parts of the report which they have studied�outline, abstract, citations, reference page, in particular. This experience was intended to help the ILC students realize that what they have learned in RW4 will be useful to them in their academic careers. It also gave them a chance to chat with American students and talk about team work, the amount of time spent on the project, etc.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: Mini-Research Project
center: VU
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2003
instructor: Elise Harbin
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: One tool that really helped the students throughout the term was reading and discussing the school newspaper every week. I want to mention it because it really helped students prepare skills they needed for the research paper, such as distinguishing main ideas and details (an RW4 benchmark), summarizing, paraphrasing, making citations and listing source info, and recognizing biased and unbiased information as well as supported and unsupported claims. It also had the second benefit of connecting the students to the campus and to some of the important issues for the university students and the third benefit of allowing the instructor to confirm that the students knew about and how to find out about the activities and opportunities available to them.
Usually, the students brought the paper with them on Mondays and spent the first 20 minutes or so skimming the paper and reading whatever caught their attentions. Then each student had to share something that they read. They had to pay special attention to letting us know the page number, title, and author�s name; and after explaining why s/he chose the article and what it was about, the student could recommend it or not and give reasons. Usually, the students read some of the same articles so we were able to compare comprehension of main ideas and what we felt were important or unimportant details. In the beginning of the term, we often summarized one of the articles that the students discussed and started that summary by marking on the page the main ideas and what we felt were details. Later in the term, we would paraphrase different sections that we had discussed and compare our paraphrases for structure and word choices.
When it was time to find resources for their mini-research papers, most of the students seemed fairly comfortable with the style and content of academic articles as they felt prepared somewhat by the regular reading of the school newspaper. The students were also already in the habit of taking note of the author, title, and page number of articles.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: Annotated Bibliography
center: VU
semester: Summer
term: 1
year: 2004
instructor: E. Harbin
e-mail: [email protected]
Because the summer term involved students coming in and out of the class throughout the nine weeks, our focus for our research was an annotated bibliography instead of a mini-research. This focus worked well with the work we had done throughout the term on summarizing articles from our main text Newsweek and from other sources. This assignment also gave us the chance to read different writing styles and to practice paraphrasing and using MLA format. In order to make it easier for me, the class chose one topic to research and then we narrowed our main sources to about eight. (Each student was responsible for finding two appropriate articles.) Once students prepared bibliography cards for each article the students could choose any four articles from the eight chosen by the class. Each student only had to write four annotations in their formal annotated bibliography. Therefore, I was able to be familiar with all possible annotations because we as a class had narrowed the selection.
In order to introduce this assignment, we looked at some books that included annotated bibliographies and I wrote an example one based on a Newsweek article we had read together. Then I gave students a handout that also has some online resources with examples. Some of the handout ideas came from Writing for Results: Academic and Professional Writing Tasks, which I had used as a reference. We used our writing reference The Essentials of English for MLA format rules as well as a web site provided by our university�s reference librarian. The students and I all annotated the same article in the beginning so that we could do peer reviews and get a better idea of what we were working towards. I used a rubric to evaluate the projects and I would recommend doing this project again especially with students who need a lot of support when finding journal articles and evaluating their relevance and quality.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: mini research paper
center: CSM
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2004
instructor: Marcia Lane
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Students chose to debate the topic of nuclear energy use, so I suggested that they use the same research for their mini research paper. Most of my students are taking classes at CSM., limiting their time for ILC, so this was helpful to them. IN addition, they used the knowledge gained from their research to write their initial argument essay, which was introduced at the end of the term. Combining these tasks was helpful for and appreciated by the students.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: argument essay
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Marcia Lane
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Students watched a video on a controversial subject (assisted suicide) and took notes on pro and con arguments. Next day they chose which side they agreed with and AS A GROUP they brainstormed and shared their notes. This was followed by the group making an outline of an argument essay, including the counter argument. Finally, each person wrote an in-class essay (practice for the final exam) using the outline. The emphasis was on group collaboration plus the planning stages of the argument essay since these students tend not to use an outline or brainstorming very well.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: Writing/Novel Project
center: VU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Tonia Frederick
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: This term, in RW4, we wrote an Expository Essay in conjunction with the novel that the students read. The students had to find a theme or themes that their RW4 novel presented. Then they had to write an essay describing the theme and what one could learn from it. Within the essay, the students had to include examples (quotes) from the novel. This helped the students practice supporting their own ideas with outside sources. This project combined the reading and writing task at the end of the term. It also helped the students "dig" a little deeper into their reading as they searched for the theme. It was challenging, but a good literary experience.
Course = RW
Level = 4
Category = Writing Task
Core Task = Report & summary writing
Center = UNCG
Semester = Fall
Term = 2
Year = 2006 Instructor = Stephen R. Schrass
E-Mail = [email protected]
Report Text = The students are assigned to write summary reports from their notes taken of those interviewed. Activity Questioning in Role or Hot Seating: Questioning in the hot seat involved all of the students being questioned about their motives, interests, and reasons for selecting their topics / thesis for their research essays. In case the level of the students' questions remains literal, or barely relevant, the teacher should modestly intervene and give lead. This technique should not operate in a controlled manner because the objective is for all of the students to question the panel of writers/authors about their thesis statements or questions. The aim of the activity follows: Taking down notes Practice in report and summary writing To help students focus from a general thesis statement or thesis question to a specific one Procedure: The class was told that they were newspaper reporters at a press conference to interview the writers/authors of their topics, thesis statement or thesis question. The authors (a student who has volunteered to take on the role) sat in the front, facing the rest of the class and answers questions posed by the reporters. He /she was interviewed for no more than 10 minutes. The reporters asked not just questions, but also took notes in order to write a report summary for the next class. In my case, there were a large number of students in the class. Thus, three students teamed together and posed as reporters from the same newspapers. The whole activity was made more dramatic by asking the students to make their nameplates with newspaper names and display them on their desks. One student was given the role of a moderator who introduced the writer/author. This helped to ensure a smooth functioning of the conference. After the interview was over, the teams of reporters worked together for their write-up. The student who had been questioned in the role of the author joined one of the teams of the reporters. Follow-up: The summary reports were read in groups of three in class and the students discussed with each other, using their notes, which were the most interesting topics and why. The following assignment was to write a summary stating their reasons why or why not they thought the writer/author had convinced them of their reasons for their choice of their thesis statement or question using their notes.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core+task: Argument Essay
center: CSM
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: S.Gould
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: As part of the RW 4 class, I asked my students to write an argument essay. To facilitate this activity, I put the students in pairs, had each pair choose their topic for the essay, and then asked each partner to take one side of the argument. For example, in the pair which chose abortion as their topic, one of them argued the "pro-choice" side and the other argued the "pro-life" side. I instructed the students to work together to brainstorm both sides of their argument and to share their research. This, I hoped, would help the students understand that they had to be familiar with both sides of the argument to write a good argument essay and make it easier for them to develop their arguments and counterarguments. I also gave the students a choice of different outline styles to use and some model essays to read and analyze.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Joan Hunter
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: The students were learning to use the thesaurus for paraphrasing but weren�t seeing that it could be useful in other ways too. To show how it could be helpful in writing their research papers, we first discussed how to link the sentences in a paragraph and the paragraphs in a longer paper by using synonyms. As an exercise, we looked at the article, �More Senior Citizens, Fewer Kids,� in Topics for Today (Unit 2), that they had read for homework. First, in pairs, the students identified all of the synonyms for �senior citizen� and �increase� that they could find. Then they compared and discusses their findings with the other groups�some of the synonyms were new to them, and/or they were unsure of the connotations. This also led to a discussion of the necessity of using a dictionary along with the thesaurus. Second, while we were talking about linking devices, we also looked at the way certain words (including word forms) were repeated throughout the article and ho w that helped guide the reader. In pairs, the students listed all the repetitions they could find, and they compared their list with those of the other groups. I think that looking at the article in this way helped the students understand more fully the value of the thesaurus.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core task: Argumentative Essay
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Carolyn Smith
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: I gave this checklist to my students before they turned in their argumentative essay and encouraged them to check each item carefully and make sure everything on the checklist was in their paper. I also told them that I would be grading them on all of the items on the checklist. Point values for each section can be typed in according to the teacher's preference.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core task: Summarizing
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Stephanie
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: To help students include only the main ideas in their summaries, I put them in groups and gave them a piece of poster board, markers, and a newspaper. I asked them to choose an article and jot down the most important details on the poster board. I circulated, checking to see what they included. If they seemed to be on the wrong track, I tried to guide them back. I then took the newspaper away and asked them to write their summary using only the notes they had taken. Without the entire article there in front of them, students did a much better job of keeping their summaries short and to the point.
course: RW
level: 4
category: Writing Task
core task: Mini Research Paper
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Maria Avtgis
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: Over the course of the term, I assigned three formal writing assignments: a persuasive essay, a guided informative mini-research paper, and finally a persuasive mini-research paper. Each paper had distinct learning objectives which built upon each other and culminated in the final paper. By the time I assigned the final paper, the students were familiar with the structure of a persuasive essay and the process of parenthetical citations from the first and second writing assignments. These skills were reinforced in the third paper but the focus of the culminating paper was following MLA format. After the research stage and during the writing process, I asked students to each bring copies of two of their sources to class. In a class of seven, I formed two groups. I required the members of each group to collaborate together and determine how each source should be cited in a Works Cited page. Together, the students referenced a copy of a MLA style manual that I found online(http://www.wright.edu/academics/writingctr/mla2.PDF)and each group coauthored a Works Cited page. Even though the students were required to work as a group and to come to a group decision for each entry of the Works Cited page, I required each student to write out their own copy. This requirement prompted each student to be active and accountable for the work. After each group completed the Works Cited page for their six sources, I gave their sources and Works Cited pages to the other group to be �corrected�. Students claimed that a lot of learning occurred during this activity and, in addition to that, each student was able to begin the �real� Works Cited page of their research paper with two of their sources correctly cited.
course: RW
level: 4
center: ISU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Carolyn Smith
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Plagiarism is often a new and difficult concept for international students. I introduce the serious nature of this form of cheating by explaining that if they are caught plagiarizing, they could be kicked out of their program or university. A recent article about a Harvard student who was caught plagiarizing also supported what I told them about plagiarism. The title of the article was "Harvard student's book deal killed" by Hillel Italie. I'm sorry I don't have any other information on how to find this article. I also have a handout explaining plagiarism and an exercise that has them decide whether or not a passage is plagiarism. Here are the handouts:
Plagiarism and How to Avoid It
Plagiarism Exercise
course: RW
level: 4
center: UNCG
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2006
instructor: Nancy Rivera
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: In RW 4 I created a Yahoo! Group for our class. It�s quite easy to create a group. First, you have to create your own Yahoo! Account. Then you just go to Yahoo!, click on 'Groups', sign in, and click on 'Start a group now' at the bottom of the page. Make sure that you create it so that people can only join by invitation. This way advertisers and random people can�t join. You send the invitation to your students� e-mail addresses, and they can join that way. I initially used the group to post messages to the entire class about homework assignments. Students had to submit a few of the assignments on the message board. As students began research paper writing, they had a lot of questions about their content, works cited pages and rules for writing this kind of paper. I found several good websites that I posted as links on our Yahoo! Group. They covered themes such as a how-to guide for research paper summaries, paraphrases and quotations; tips on grammar rules for formal writing; examples of how to cite different resources; and how and why to avoid plagiarism. Often if one student had a question about something in his/her research paper, we would look at one of the websites as a class to find the answer. I also gave students a few homework assignments that required them to use these websites. One assignment was to correct an essay I gave them using the rules of formal writing listed on a website, and another was to answer que stions about plagiarism using that particular website. Students eventually used these links to answer many of their own questions when writing and correcting their papers.
course: RW
level: 4
center: ISU
semester: Summer
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Carolyn Smith
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: Before my students write
their research paper, we work on making an outline for their paper. Some of this
is review but some of it helps them see the difference between a five-paragraph
essay outline and a research paper outline. It also helps them see how sources
can be worked into their outline. I also do a practice on choosing main ideas
and supporting ideas and making an outline from those ideas.
Choosing and Ordering Points and Ideas
course: RW level: 4
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Allyson Newport
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: This is a sample lesson for teaching students how to preview materials that they will use for their research paper. Any article which has a good title, subtitle, and subheadings can be used to do this exercise.
course: RW level: 4
center: CSM
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2006
instructor: Faridah Hudson
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: In this class, students are required to begin doing an academic research and to write a mini research paper. The concept of in-text citation and bibliography is very new to these students and they have difficulty understanding the reasoning behind paraphrasing, summarizing and attributing authorship of ideas that are not their own. There are no texts or manuals that the students have to purchase for this topic of in-text citation and bibliography because guides are available at the library and on-line. Furthermore, these guides are frequently updated and would have different requirements at the time that the students are actually using them. For this particular lesson, I encouraged the students to bring their own laptops to class. This enables them to have a hands-on experience in looking at the websites and in book-marking these websites for future use. I used the following links to introduce them to the different types of referencing � APA, MLA, and Chicago-Turabian. (I do not get into the AMA guide for obvious reasons.) With the first link, I showed them through the steps of getting to particular sites. The best explanation is in the Long Island University link. It is color-coded and very easy to understand. The CBE/CSE style of referencing is used the most for science and technology, especially at the Colorado School of Mines. The following site has the best explanation for this specific guide. After explaining the guides and their extremely subtle differences, the students are then given assignments on citing books, journals, and websites. Particular attention is paid on punctuation. Students are encouraged to produce citations on overheads and then evaluated for accuracy by their fellow students. This peer evaluation helps with everyone�s proficiency and understanding in using the bibliography guides.
course: RW
level: 4
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Laura Underwood
e-mail: [email protected]
report+text: On the second day of class, students completed an opinion poll about different controversial topics in the U.S. The students answered yes/no to a series of questions such as: Should mothers with children work outside the home? Should healthcare be free to everyone? Should people marry inter-racially? After answering all of the questions, each student chose the one that was personally most significant. Each student wrote supporting statements about the topic and tried to determine the opinion of the opposition. Throughout the term, in reading the text and supplemental relevant sources, students found and recorded quotes to support their opinions. As a class, the students learned to utilize and properly cite secondary sources through a process called Reverse Engineering a Research Paper. For the final research paper, the students used their "research" they had been gathering throughout the term and the activities on paraphrasing/quoting/summarizing to expand their ideas from the opinion poll into a research paper. The students did not realize it, but they wrote the basis of their thesis statement and the outline for their papers on the second day of class. They "researched" on their selected topics throughout the entire term.
level: 4
category: Journal Task
core task: ILC-WSSU Email Partnership
center: UNCG
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: Brian Gay
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: This term my RW4 class at UNCG linked the novel project and the electronic journal project in a correspondence with email partners at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), a historically black institution of higher education in nearby Winston-Salem. Our Center Director put me in contact with a teaching colleague at WSSU who was interested in providing an opportunity for students in her Multiculturalism class to correspond with international students. Their questions were general in nature, and regarded our students' sociocultural backgrounds and experiences here in the United States. For us, the exchange provided a culturally-relevant sounding board and resource for answers to the many questions raised during our reading of the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker (chosen deliberately for this project). Students kept copies of both sides of their email correspondence in a single Word file as they went along, which in the end constituted the complete journa
l and could be printed out in paper form if desired.
Initially
our intention was to use a shared-access space on Blackboard for students to post
their ideas, thoughts, and reactions to one another, with automatic record-keeping
built in, but technical difficulties associated with separate campuses made that
impractical. We considered trying to use Moodle as an alternative, but time constraints
were prohibitive. If this pilot project were to continue next term (the second
half of WSSU's fall semester), a technological alternative to email would
hopefully be found. Another important change in the project design would be that
our students and theirs would read a common text as the basis for their discussion
and exchange in this case, a collection of extended essays written by WSSU
faculty and students called The Quilt: Cultural Voices (published by Kendall Hunt).
Finally, we had talked about bringing our students together to meet each other
on one campus or the other before the end of term, but once again time constraints
in
tervened; hopefully, such a campus visit could be arranged in future.
course: RW
level: 4
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 1
year: 2007
instructor: ron engel
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: This activity deserves a title:
Everybody Can Make a Reading test
rw4, fall I, 07
There is plenty of non-ESL reading available on-line. Much of this is challenging but not too difficult for ILC rw4 or rw5 students. I am particularly partial to the Learning Network which is a link on the left column of the New York Times web site. This is an abundant source of written material and teaching activities. At any rate, for the activity described below, popular newspapers, magazines, or even academic journals would provide the appropriate content.
Procedure
Divide the class into groups. An ideal number would be 3 people in each group. This works best if there is an even number of groups. This description assumes 4 groups with 3 students in each group. Each group reads a reading. Each group gets their own reading. Then, the students create a set of 12 (or 10 or whatever is appropriate given the length of the reading) multiple choice questions from a reading or a part of a reading. (If you assign the students to create multiple choice questions, it will be useful to talk about and practice techniques for creating distractors). These are multiple choice questions and should be answerable in some specified period of time. After the students have answered the questions they exchange their question sheets and see where their answers do or do not agree. This si a question by question discussion with 2 groups. Each group has created a set of questions and answered the other group's questions. So, either to create questions or to answer the other group's questions, each group has read 2 reading assignments. While this is going on, the teacher circulates and just listens to the discussions. It is probably best if the teacher says little or nothing.
The idea of having each group create multiple choice questions is an important factor. The objective, impossible to avoid, is to have to serioulsy consider the the writer's purpose and the true significance of the details in the article. This is most effectively done if the multiple choice distractors that the students create include distractors that are wrong but reasonable and intended by the test writer to be selected as a likely wrong answer. (I know, easier said than done, but it is about what is gained in the activity and not necessarily about creating a "great" multiple choice test).
That's about it. This should take an entire 2 hour class period.
course: RW
level: 4
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Vance
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: To get students reading, I started a Story Report program. Students were required to read one story of their choice each week, which I provided via our Blackboard site. Each story offered an assortment of questions. Some stories were long with fewer questions; some stories were short with many questions. Some of the Copywrite free stories that I included came from the Peace Corps Website at http://www.peacecorps.gov/.
course: RW
level: 4
core task: Research Paper
center: VU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: SAhola
report text: Research Presentations
How can an instructor determine whether their students really understood their research paper topic? One method I use is a short presentation on the research topic. The students are given 3-4 minutes to briefly address the key components of their research--the causes, the effects, and the solutions of a problem.
When the students present their information, they provide the audience with a handout. The handout might include some pictures, some facts or some general information about their topic. Once the students finish their presentation, the audience may ask questions.
The activity provides me with a sense of who really understood their research topic. The students who do well with their paper usually can speak with ease and those students who haven't done well usually struggle at presenting their information.
course: RW
level: 4
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: ron
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: ACTING!!!!!
During the summer terms of 2005 and 2007, my cs5 class attended a theater appreciation class. In this class, students often had the opportunity to plan and act out scenes from plays. Since it was a theater class, much of the emphasis was on being expressive and realistic given the content of the script.
In my rw4 class this term, we applied this technique on more than one occasion. We read, To Kill a Mockingbird, a book that is "made real" by its dialogue. As it became evident that my students were easily getting the main idea of the story but not so easily getting much of the nuance, we tried "acting out" select scenes from the book. Much of this can be done as an in-class activity that can be completed in one class session. First, students choose or suggest dialogues that are significant in the story. Then, they need to determine the number of actors (+ one for the narrator) involved and where it would be good to begin and end the scene. Each student then selects a role and determines exactly what it is that their character says (This phase can be quite revealing--Who really said what? What did they mean? Why did they say it? To whom did they say it?). In order to have an audience, if the class has enough students, it might be nice to do 2 seperate dialogues. Seperate the 2 groups and give them a limited amout of time to rehearse their scene. Indicate that the actors need to ACT--"become" the character.
An enjoyable twist on this activity can be done if the material being used has been made into a movie, as is the case with To Kill a Mockingbird. You can do the planning phase as a homework assignment, telling the students to ready to act on some future date. Show the movie in class and stop the movie before any scene that is to be presented by the ILC troupe. The ILC troupe acts and then they can immediately see Hollywood's interpretation of the same scene. Of course, some Hollywod scenes are not necessarily true to the novel's version and some scenes from a book may not even appear in the movie. This should not be a problem, just plan accordingly.
course: RW
level: 4
core task: Summaries, Graphs, Charts
center: ISU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Joan Hunter
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: In writing research papers, the students often find their support hard to summarize. In order to demonstrate that there is sometimes more than one way to “summarize” material, I chose a New York Times article that included a short paragraph that contained comparisons using numbers (in this case percentages that changed over time). They read the article at home. I then asked them to read the paragraph and summarize it. When they had finished, I asked them to summarize it using only a chart or graph. It was a fairly simple example, and all of the students were able to put the information into an understandable graph and/or chart. They could see how clear this kind of summary was and how they might use the technique as part of their research paper.
course: RW
level: 4
core task: Red Wheelbarrow
center: VU
semester: Fall
term: 2
year: 2007
instructor: Lisa Stodder
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: Using poetry in the ESL classroom (The Red Wheelbarrow) See attachment.
course: RW
level: 4
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: Noelle Vance
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: For the Critical Essay/Research Project, I had students choose a dead scientist who did not received the Nobel Prize and write a paper explaining why that person should be given a posthumous Nobel Prize award. The students were quite interested in the material, and the papers turned out very well. Here is the initial project sheet. Critical Essay/Research Portfolio Some of the most critical skills that you will use in any discipline are the skills of analyzing information, making judgments based on criteria and reporting your findings in writing. In this research portfolio, you will have the opportunity to use and hone all of these skills. Overview of The Project Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel created the Nobel prizes for Peace, Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Economics in his will. The goal of the prize was to honor those individuals who in the previous year had “conferred the greatest benefit to mankind.�? Until this year, the Nobel Prize has only been awarded to living candidates. However, this year, a committee of experts has decided to award one posthumous award to an individual, who although dead, made such a contribution to the world that he or she deserves to win the Nobel prize. You are on the committee! Your Task Along with the other members of your team, you will choose one discipline area (e.g., Peace, Physics, Economics, etc.) to research. You will be given a list of candidates in the discipline area who are being considered for a posthumous Nobel Prize. As members of the committee, you will each choose one of the candidates to research. You will examine this individual’s life work and contributions to his or her field. You will evaluate the work according to the criteria used by the Nobel Prize Committee for your discipline, and you will write a 3-5 page paper presenting your opinion as to why this person is worthy of the award. When all of the members of the committee have submitted their papers, you will present an oral argument to the committee on behalf of your candidate. Then, you and the rest of the committee will vote on who should win the award. Individual Portfolio Requirements 1) Three-Five page paper that includes a. Details of the candidate’s i. background ii. major contributions to the field iii. particular contributions worthy of a Nobel Prize b. Your evaluation of the candidate i. Explanation how this person meets or exceeds the requirements for being a Nobel Prize winner. ii. Reasons you believe this person is the best candidate for the prize. c. A Works Cited list formatted in APA style for all references that you cite in your paper. d. An Appendix of any supporting documentation that you believe will help your candidate (e.g., bibliography of publications, diagrams, maps, etc.)
keyword: Email Communication
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 4
center: VU
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2008
instructor: Carl Hart
report text: This is an activity which I use at the beginning of each term. I often receive emails from students without any proper formatting. I developed a sample (Email Sample #1) for the students to examine. We talk about the problems with the email. Then, I have the students revise the sample. After sharing their revisions, we examine the sample that I revised (Email Sample #2).
Email Sample #1
hey, i’m in your speeech class. i had the flu last week and i wasn’t able to come to your class. i have a dr’s note to show u when i see u on tuesday. could u tell me what the homework is for next week. i lost my homework schedule. thanxs. see u on tues.
Email Sample #2
Dear Mr. Hart:
My name is Ali Baba and I’m in your Communication Skills class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00-11: 50. I had the flu last week and I wasn’t able to come to your class. I have a doctor’s note to show you when I see you on Tuesday. Could you tell me what the homework is for next week? I lost my homework schedule.
Thank you for your help. See you on Tuesday!
Ali Baba
keyword: Response Essay
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 4
center: CSM
semester: Spring
term: 2
year: 2008
instructor: S. Gould
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: One of the response essays
we did this session was based on the movie "The Magnificent Seven."
Before watching, I gave the students some quotes from the movie and asked them
to think about what they thought they meant and then listen for them as they watched
to see if the context of the movie changed their interpretation or not. Then I
showed the students segments of the movie (if we had had more time, I would have
shown them the whole thing), and we talked about the different issues brought
up in the course of the movie and the quotes. Some of the issues, if you are unfamiliar
with the movie, are racism, bullying, the desire for a “glamorousâ€
lifestyle and not finding it satisfying, perceived strength/weakness, and the
idea that sometimes you must fight. Finally, I asked the students to pick one
of the issues and talk about it, relate it to their own experiences/lives/the
real world and use examples or quotes from the movie to support/illustrate
what they were saying. I found this to be one of the most successful writing activities,
probably because it was very accessible for the students; all of them found something
to which they could respond. Below are quotes which I felt were particularly thought
provoking:
Chris: "I've been offered a lot in my line of work, but never everything."
Calvera: "If God didn't want them sheared, He would not have made them sheep."
Vin: "Sometimes you bend with the breeze, or you break."
Bernardo: “Do you think I am brave because I carry a gun? Your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. And there's nobody says they have to do this. They do it because they love you and they want to. I have never had this kind of courage."Old Man: "Only the farmers have won."
keyword: journal, blog
submit: Submit Query
course: RW
level: 4
center: UNCG
semester: Summer
term: 1
year: 2008
instructor: Molly Anthony
e-mail: [email protected]
report text: As their "journaling" project, I had my students use an online blog, Yahoo 360. Overall, I was pleased with using blogs but I not not particularly recommend using Yahoo 360.Advantages:1. Students got practice with typing and using online communication, which is a good step from which to transition to more official systems like Blackboard.2. It was much easier for me to read and comment on their writing, as the blogs were always available online and no one could lose them or forget to turn them in. They could even comment on my comments and answer my questions.3. After linking all the blogs as "friends," students could easily read each others' blogs and leave comments. In fact, I generally required students to give 2 comments in addition to their own writing.4. Yahoo 360 (and most blogs) have useful options like including photographs, personalizing pages, including links, etc, which can be used to promote self-expression and to share information.5. I used my own blog to post homework, links, and other announcements. Students also preferred using the "blogmail" option to send me messages, rather than emailing me directly.Disadvantages:1. There was some initial fumbling with setting up blogs and learning how to use them properly, which lasted about 3 weeks.2. Yahoo 360 seemed to have many "traffic" problems, often taking a long time to load, being unable to load, losing entries due to "page cannot be reached" mishaps, and other mysterious glitches.3. Many students already used Yahoo for email, which seemed like an advantage at first. However, accounts made in their native country still relied upon their native language. Therefore, parts of their blogs (like icons, links, frames) were, for instance, in French, which made it a little less challenging for them.4. Since the blogs were open to the public, I worried about inhibitions and privacy issues, but no significant problems arose. I told my students they had the option of making a "private" blog, but no one took me up on this offer.Conclusion:I definitely want to use blogs again, even for lower levels, because of the ease with which I can respond to them and view them. However, I do not recommend Yahoo 360 due to technological and language issues. Luckily, there are many other options available.