Monday, January 14, 2013

TRUE LEARNING








The students brought in their "silent film strip" photo assignments today. They were assigned the task of transforming themselves into a character from WWI, the Roaring 20s, or the Great Depression. We will begin our discussion of WWII tomorrow, and used this assignment to remind us of the events leading up to that war. The students went above and beyond the call to action not only with creativity, but also with historical content. Their stories were told as a silent film would tell a story. They took ten photos of themselves with a sign in front of them with the words telling their tale. Some students even included family members in their photos/stories. I could tell as I read them today that the students really put forth full effort into researching these historical eras. I am confident that they learned more from this one assignment than from a week's worth of reading from a textbook. They were so proud of their work and also wanted to see their friends' stories. So, we took a little time today to view all of the "silent films" and learn from our peers. Who says hard work can't be fun? Not us! Stay tuned for our next project. This week the students are taking these characters from their stories and giving them an extensive list, via collage design, of character traits. We will use this project to dive further into our discussions of an author's use of characterization. Art, creativity, problem solving, language arts, reading skills, and history all come together as we progress through this unit of study. In the midst of all this FUN learning, we are taking MAP tests in our computer labs. There has been much talk and discussion, even boycots and strikes in regards to high stakes testing during a school year. There has been much debate on how disruptive it is to real learning. In my humble opinion, the only classroom interrupted from such tests, are classrooms that allow that to happen. I am all for accountability...teacher accountability, at that. But I will not allow standardized tests to stand in the way of REAL learning. We don't focus much in my classroom on test prep. I usually give my students a "pep talk" before we enter into the computer lab to begin our tests, but I cannot and will not disrupt our creative juices to prep for tests. There's a famous movie quote that says, "If you build it, he will come." I think about that line often in my classroom. If we, as teachers, build foundations and learning skills with motivation and inspiration as our guide, then test scores will come. I'm not worried about what a test score says about my students. I see with my eyes. I hear with my ears. Everyday, these students impress me with their intellect...intellect that is far beyond what a standardized test measures. WAY TO GO TEAM DUBOSE!

6 comments:

  1. Yay! I also can't wait to study WWII

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  2. Yay! I also can't wait to study WWII!
    -Lauren Dinning

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  3. What a fun assignment! Any chance you can post some of the silent films?

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  4. What a super idea! And what lucky students you have!
    Makes me miss the classroom and all the fun.. So proud of you and your creativity.And proud of your philosophy..Wish more teachers thought this way.
    Keep up the great work...
    Mrs. Lanny

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  5. Amazing, Ms. Dubose! Well done, students!

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  6. This project was really fun and I learned a lot about the Roaring 20s.
    Kayleigh Tate

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