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Somewhere to begin!

Published by SraSpanglish on

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Just as Dra. Moser said: the student writer needs “organizational support”!  The example that provided suggestions for segmenting chunks a writing assignment was just what I needed to get started!

With the format that included a context/set-up scenario, followed by a description of the type of text to be produced, then rounded off with starter sentences, I was able to turn the Future Me assignment into something I’m excited about doing–instead of being afraid of boring students and repeating the autobiography travesty of 2010.

I have to give credit also to my suitemate.  She’s the one who helped me decide to focus the assignment on life in college, which led me to see that I could add another coupla “C’s” and compare student expectations for college life here to college life in other countries!  Which means instead of adding the teaching of jobs and the like to the review, I may only need to add the organizational structure and use some authentic readings (here’s hoping I can find them!) about college life in, say, Mexico.  Maybe my little sophomores could attempt an application, poke around some university webpages.  Maybe I’ll even find a blog or two from a college student’s perspective!

I think what my classmates may have been impressed with even more than the layout of my assignment is that it is a glog, and that I had already started making an example.  I’m wary of the flash of the glog hiding inner boring-ness, but I think that another suitemate idea–using daily warm-ups to build up to the finished product–will help cement the personal connection of the assignment, making the motivation more than external oo-it’s-internet-and-graphics.  The daily warm-up approach could also increase affect, I think.

With all this in mind (and perhaps also the reunion with the idea notebook I’d left at home), I feel like I might be able to start this year off feeling good, and live down last year’s floundering!


SraSpanglish

Laura Sexton is a passion-driven, project-based language educator in Gastonia, North Carolina. She loves sharing Ideas for integrating Project-Based Learning in the world language classroom, including example projects, lessons, assessment tips, driving questions, and reflection.