Talyn K. Martin High School is a large, suburban public high
school located in northern Indiana. The current enrollment is about 3,000
students with a 7% ethnicity rate and 95% graduation rate. The current
student-teacher ration is 1:22. The school has a large media center with about
25 computers, enough that every student of a typical class size can have their
own computer. Currently, there is one media specialist and one media assistant. Student schedules operate on a block scheduling where they attend four 90 minute classes a day. Classes run on an alternating schedule of gold and blue days (two gold one week, three the next). This particular lesson plan was designed for a theatre class with students in grades 9 – 12. Since it is an elective, most students who enroll in the class are interested in theatre in some way. The interest level depends on the student; some only see theatre as a hobby and others see it as a career goal. While most are interested in the acting aspect, there are some that are more interested in backstage work such as props, make-up, and costuming. We try to spend a little time on each area throughout the term. The script-writing lesson was first developed a couple years ago after students expressed a want/excitement for it. It is usually done near the end of the term and is one of the most favored lessons because they get to tie in all their previous knowledge when creating/filming their script. They also enjoy using community-based technologies such as the Ning and YouTube. It gives them a chance to share their project with others outside the classroom. Most students are very comfortable with information inquiry once they reach high school. It is something they have been doing since elementary school and are well on their way to mastering the skill. There are some varying levels of expertise depending on the grade level. For example, twelfth graders have a better handle on it than ninth graders. However, I find that very few struggle with information inquiry no matter the grade level and working in groups seems to ensure that all students make it through without too many problems. |