Need an engaging, (almost) guaranteed way to introduce argument to students that they’ll enjoy?

My answer to you is Superfight.

I’ve been using the game for a couple of years now, and it’s a playful, non-threatening way to venture into argumentation. I used it as a vehicle to teach the vocabulary of claim, evidence, reasoning, but not have to worry about research (yet–that was the next writing to come.)

Since I used the unit as a final project for a class last semester, I’ll just post that slidedeck below. Also, you can find it linked here if you’d rather look at it that way.

Any questions? Comment below. Gotta question you need answered today?! Email me at mpilakowski@vcsbadger.net

No one can deny the benefit of 1:1 conferences with students. It’s where strong relationships are formed, where we can get more insight on what they learned, where they can explain what maybe they can’t write down.

However, finding the time is tough. Last week, I tried something new:

Group conferences!

And let me tell you, I loved it. Meeting with 2-3 students at a time takes a bit longer, but it adds much more camaraderie among the students in the conference. Often, the students find themselves adding onto others’ comments, creating an even richer conversation.

Pre-Conference

Before conferencing, I ask students to fill out a reflection about the work we just finished. This makes them think more intensely about the work and also gives me some insight to what they’ve learned.

I also ask them to sign up on a large week-long schedule that includes my prep time, study hall, their class time, and other sections of their class. During these classes, I have a playlist of assignments that students will not need intensive teachers support to complete.

Conference

When we meet, I ask each student the following:

1. What are the top revisions you’ve made to your writing? I’ve given feedback to their rough drafts but hadn’t read final drafts; this gives me insight to what they improved and also drastically reduces time in reading final drafts. To help with this, I open their drafts and either click “See New Changes” or open the previous version of the file that highlights the most revisions. Since the changes are all highlighted, it’s easy for both students and the teacher to see the revisions.
2. What did you learn or improve in this unit?
3. What do you still want to learn–and how can I help? For some, it’s more sophisticated transitions or satisfying conclusions. Others want help with semi-colons and commas. A few admit they need to focus on procrastination, which I think is just as important a writing goal as the others.
4. What can I adjust in this unit to make it even better next year? I’ll admit, this question can be hard to ask. Maybe it’s one you work up to over time or once you have a stronger rapport with students. I’m not sure I could ask this question even a few years ago. Not only does this give you feedback to help improve, but it also strengthens that rapport with students. You’re being vulnerable with them, and that’s what makes us feel closer to people.

I’ll still do  1:1 conversations for students who prefer it, but group conferences have a lot of power. Students are able to listen to what revisions others make and where others are struggling–a reminder that they’re not alone in this never-ending challenge we call writing.

 

 

 

My juniors have started our unit of “What Is Truth?” and the first focus of the unit is fake news. (We move to biased sources and unreliable narrators later.)

This is also a topic that has a lot of resources, including games. (You can find some of my favorite resources here.)

But this post is all about how we kick off the unit.

1. Start with Factitious

Factitious is a simple True/False fake news game. All players need to do is determine whether the article if real or fake. I also love that there are six different levels, which allows students choice–my higher-ability readers can choose the “hard” levels suggested for college readers, and students who are struggling may choose to do an “easy” level.

I used this as the opening activity this year. They played for 5-10 minutes, and then they added a post to a Padlet describing what their strategies were in playing the game.

This is important. I did not tell them any strategies. I didn’t give them any hints on discerning the fake news from real. They found their own ways, talked to their neighbors about them, shared them on Padlet. They learned just by trial and error.

At the end of the day, I made an anchor poster of the strategies they’d listed. This anchor poster then provides a go-to list of strategies for finding fake news throughout the unit (and hopefully, throughout life!)

 

2. Play The Canadian Infiltration

I like the collaborative feeling of Breakout Games, but I’m always looking for ways to add more close reading. Thus, The Canadian Infiltration was born. The narrative is that fifty years into the future, the Canadians are tired of the cold temperatures and want to move farther south. One of their steps in doing so: Dividing Americans through the use of fake news.

I provide each group with a manila envelope of articles. Four of them are fake. Their task is to determine which articles are fake. They’re allowed to use the Internet, the anchor chart, their experience from playing Factitious, and good ol’ common sense.

In the past, I’ve started out with The Canadian Infiltration, but I’m really happy with the sequence of this year’s activities. Playing Factitious, developing a set of strategies, and then moving into the group game was very smooth. More so than ever, I saw students more concerned about sources and checking other sites to corroborate articles

My college composition students have been giving feedback to their colleagues’ arguments the past few days. One thing I always remind them before each new round of peer reviews is that we don’t do this just to provide feedback, though that’s nice.

What’s just as important is what they’re learning from others’ writing and applying to their own.

So I give them a tool to help them remember things they want to check in their own papers.

The magical Post-It Note.

As they read others’ papers and gave feedback, I asked them to write themselves notes about their own papers. Are their transitions working? Do they need more direct quotes? Is there a section that needs strengthening?

At the end of the period, they stuck their note next to their name on easel paper (plus this doubles as a quick accountability of who met these expectations.) When they return back to their own papers to do revisions, they’ll not only have the feedback others gave them but also their own post-it notes about what they wanted to work on more.

In one of the classes I took last semester, we had to do a lot of reading, but we didn’t do a lot of writing. Instead of writing 300 to 500-word reading responses each week, we created visual collages. 

This type of response made me consider how I would use visual images to represent what I was learning and thinking instead of language. I considered what colors or images I would use for my background, what videos I might embed from YouTube, and what images and shapes I might add to represent concepts in the reading.

I liked this idea so much that I decided to use it in my own classroom. One way I did this was through visual book responses with my students. Each of my students reads their own choice of book at the beginning of each class.  Although we also have daily bullet journals for reading, I wanted to see what students could create with their own visual responses to their own books.

The Prep Work

For each section I taught, I created a slide deck. The opening slide gave the directions (see below), followed by a sample collage slide that I created. I then made a slide for each student and typed their name in the notes. (Students can also create their own slides, but I like to do a little more front work to prevent confusion later.)

When students were finished, I copied all the slides into one slidedeck so that they would be able to view the slides of other classmates as well. Last, students filled out a Google form that asked them which slides were their favorite and which books they might be interested in reading based on the slides.

Check out their slides below!

January 2 is National Introvert Day.

That makes me one day late, as I’m writing this on the 3rd.

This does bring up some thoughts to talk about in regards to introverts in our classrooms. So from this introverted teacher and student, may I present a PSA for Introverts.

Our Introverted Students

Right now, pushing collaboration and cooperative learning are buzz words in education. We talk about them in 21st Century Learning Skills, in project based learning, even in my state’s language arts skills. Because the truth is, collaboration and cooperation are important skills to have.

However, some things to keep in mind:

1. Don’t always require group work. I really like giving the option of working with a partner, a group of three, or working alone on most assignments. This provides social students an environment where they work best while still giving introverts the option to work alone.
2. Provide opportunities for group building. Introverts are more willing to work with people they’re comfortable with, so take time to build culture in your classroom and provide activities for students to get to know each other. Rather than kicking off a group project right away, wait a few weeks until students are more comfortable with each other.
3. Invite participation through multiple channels. Some students are comfortable speaking up in class; others are more willing to share through writing. Give students the option when you can. Scaffolded sharing activities can also provide more support for students. Check out Save the Last Word for Me and Graffiti Boards.
4. Unsure? Ask them. It’s not a bad idea to survey students about their comfort level of speaking in class, and assuming that they can’t always bow out of an activity such as giving a speech or reflecting on Flipgrid, ask how you can support them in these moments. Another important question: Do they want to be recognized in front of the class? Some may not want to be the center of attention, even if it’s for something good. But other introverted students may appreciate it.

Don’t Forget Introverted Teachers

Since the publication of Susan Cain’s Quiet, I think teachers have been far more cognizant of their introverted students and appreciative of the thinking those students are quietly doing.

However, we have to also be aware of educators who are introverted. Don’t think you can spot them–sometimes the most energetic teachers in the classroom are introverted. Instead, be aware that they’re on your staff, and there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Respect their prep time. Introverts enjoy being around people, but they need alone time to recharge. This is why prep time can be essential to introvert teachers–we need those moments of solitude to be the best we can for students. In one school I taught in, our prep time was pre-planned for us four days a week with team meetings, grade-level meetings, planning meetings, etc. This is a quick way for your teachers to burn out.
2. Avoid cheesy get-to-know-you activities at PD. While I doubt any teacher really enjoys playing signature bingo (you know–find a person who was born in the same month as you and have them sign their name in that block), introverts are even more likely to be frustrated with the small talk and meaningless connections.
3. Build culture in meaningful ways. Just as we need to build our classroom cultures, we also need to build staff culture. That means providing opportunities for deeper conversations and PD that is actually meaningful.

No doubt I’m missing some other great tips to consider with introverts in our schools, so if you’ve got some, feel free to add them to the comments below.