For two weeks I had the chance to work on a multi-genre project with three third graders at St. Anthony’s Elementary School. A multi-genre project is similar to a traditional research paper, but instead of simply researching and copying information down on a paper, students are able to express their ideas and information in a variety of creative ways (genres) including illustrations, trivia facts, quotes, jokes, etc. I worked with three students named Joslyn, Andrew, and Addison, and helped them create a poster representing the life of pilot Bessie Coleman.
Since I met with the students after they had already performed most of their research on Bessie, the first thing I asked them was “what did you learn about her?” Aside from telling me Bessie …show more content…
The students told me that this was the most heartbreaking fact and that they really felt bad for her because she wasn’t able to grow up having her father around. This is where I brought the “how” question in to play for discussion. I made the students step into Bessie’s life and imagine how she felt having her father leave her and how her father felt leaving his family. Andrew made a personal connection with this fact by revealing that he can sort of relate to Bessie because his parents are divorced so he never really gets to see his father as often as he’d like. Addison and Joslyn essentially said Bessie most likely felt very sad, lonely, and mad. They also said her father probably felt the same way as well – sad, lonely, and in pain for making the decision to leave his family. The students chose to present this fact as an “I’m Sorry” letter written from the point of view of Bessie’s father. As my source says, “the answers to some questions will come from the imaginations and interpretations of students” (Allen and Swistak 230). With Andrew’s personal connection and Addison and Joslyn’s imagination, the students brainstormed and collaborated to create this fictional letter. It was great watching these intelligent students work together to combine research and
Since I met with the students after they had already performed most of their research on Bessie, the first thing I asked them was “what did you learn about her?” Aside from telling me Bessie …show more content…
The students told me that this was the most heartbreaking fact and that they really felt bad for her because she wasn’t able to grow up having her father around. This is where I brought the “how” question in to play for discussion. I made the students step into Bessie’s life and imagine how she felt having her father leave her and how her father felt leaving his family. Andrew made a personal connection with this fact by revealing that he can sort of relate to Bessie because his parents are divorced so he never really gets to see his father as often as he’d like. Addison and Joslyn essentially said Bessie most likely felt very sad, lonely, and mad. They also said her father probably felt the same way as well – sad, lonely, and in pain for making the decision to leave his family. The students chose to present this fact as an “I’m Sorry” letter written from the point of view of Bessie’s father. As my source says, “the answers to some questions will come from the imaginations and interpretations of students” (Allen and Swistak 230). With Andrew’s personal connection and Addison and Joslyn’s imagination, the students brainstormed and collaborated to create this fictional letter. It was great watching these intelligent students work together to combine research and