Interview

Title of Project: Interview

How can we share our unique stories and experiences in a way that leaves a meaningful and lasting impression on others?

Schools and Teachers

Edna Louise Spear Elementary School, Port Jefferson Middle School, Earl L. Vandermeulen High School

Teachers: Christina Marino, Mary Lyons, Valeria O’Brien, Sherri O’Hagan, Jennifer Walling

Co-Teachers: Kayleen Everitt, Melissa Corey, Sandra Eybs, Kelly Spencer, Stacy Buehler, Melissa Zinger, Eva Grasso

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Appropriate for all English Proficiency Levels | Stand-Alone, Integrated ENL/ELA, Integrated ENL/SS, Integrated ENL/Science | Standard 6-8R1, Standard 6-8R7, Standard 6-8W2, Standard 6-8W4, Standard 6-8W6, Standard 6-8SL1, Standard 6-8SL5 | Pixton, Book Creator, Flipgrid

Assessments

Formative Assessments:

Teacher Observations and Checklists
- Monitor students during brainstorming and drafting sessions to ensure engagement and comprehension
- Use a checklist to assess participation, use of sentence frames, and ability to verbalize ideas during pair-share activities
Peer Feedback
- Facilitate peer feedback sessions where students review each other's drafts and visuals using a simple feedback guide (e.g., ""One thing I like, one thing to improve"")
Draft Review and Conferencing
- Conduct one-on-one conferences to provide personalized feedback on narrative content, language use, and visual alignment with the story
Practice Presentations
- Use a rubric to give formative feedback on oral presentations, focusing on clarity, pronunciation, and storytelling

Summative Assessments:

Multimedia Presentation
- Evaluate students' final presentations using a rubric that assesses:
  - Content: Clarity and relevance of the narrative
  - Language Use: Vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure appropriate to proficiency level
  - Visuals: Creativity and effectiveness of Pixon visuals in supporting the narrative
  - Delivery: Fluency, pronunciation, and engagement during the presentation
Self-Assessment and Reflection
- Students complete a self-assessment checklist, reflecting on their storytelling, visual creation, and presentation skills
- Provide prompts for reflective journaling, such as:
  - What did you enjoy most about this project?
  - What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?
  - How did this project help you improve your English skills?
Final Narrative and Visual Submission
- Assess the written narrative and visual representation separately, using rubrics designed to measure alignment with the driving question and language proficiency level

Assessment Tools:

Rubrics: Tailored for oral presentation, visual creation, and written narrative
Checklists: For teacher observation and student self-assessment
Peer Feedback Forms: Simple, structured templates for giving and receiving feedback
Reflective Journals: Prompts to guide self-reflection on learning and personal growth

Description

Students will have the opportunity to interview a person of their choice or craft a story based on their own experiences. These interviews can also be submitted for inclusion in the Library of Congress, adding a meaningful real-world connection to their work. To complement their narratives, students will use Pixton to create engaging visuals and Book Creator to design and compile their final stories.

Content

I can use evidence and details to support my story or interview topic.

I can gather information from a variety of sources to make my story or interview more accurate and engaging.

I can explain how personal and collective experiences shape identity and culture.

I can organize my ideas clearly to create a story or conduct an interview that is easy to follow.

Language

I can ask clear, thoughtful questions during an interview.

I can respond respectfully and effectively to what others say in a discussion.

I can use descriptive and informative language to make my story or interview interesting.

I can edit and revise my work to ensure proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Technology

I can use Pixton to visually represent my story or interview.

I can use Book Creator to format and publish my story or interview in a creative way.

I can use digital tools to share my story or interview with an audience, such as the Library of Congress.

I can navigate online resources responsibly to gather research and inspiration for my project.

Procedure

1. Launch: Generating Curiosity and Setting the Stage

Begin by showing a thought-provoking video or image related to identity and legacy, prompting students to reflect on the question: “What would you want people to remember about you?”
Show some of the videos that are saved in the Library of Congress
Facilitate a whole-class discussion to build interest and activate prior knowledge.
Introduce the ENL interviews project and explain the use of Pixon for storytelling and visual representation.

2. Inquiry: Exploring Personal Stories

Students brainstorm elements of their identity they wish to highlight, such as family, culture, experiences, and values.
Use sentence starters or graphic organizers to scaffold brainstorming for varying language proficiency levels.
Incorporate peer discussions to exchange ideas and build confidence in sharing personal stories.

3. Ideation: Structuring the Narrative

Model how to outline a story using a Pixton storyboard, emphasizing key moments and visuals.
Students work independently or in small groups to draft their own storyboards, guided by checklists or sentence frames.
Use technology like digital templates for the storyboard process to provide an engaging and accessible platform.

4. Creation: Developing the Interviews

Students create their interview scripts using the storyboards as a guide, focusing on clear organization and meaningful content.
Partner students for interview practice, where one acts as the interviewer and the other as the storyteller.
Record interviews using tools like Flipgrid, Seesaw, or video recording apps, incorporating Pixton graphics to enhance storytelling.

5. Revision: Feedback and Refinement

Conduct peer and teacher feedback sessions using a rubric that includes language use, clarity, and creativity.
Allow students to revise their scripts or recordings to ensure high-quality final products.

6. Presentation: Sharing the Stories

Host a “Story Showcase” where students present their interviews to classmates, other grades, or family members.
Use subtitles or translations for multilingual access, ensuring inclusivity for diverse language proficiency levels.

7. Reflection: Connecting Learning to the Driving Question

Facilitate a reflective discussion or journaling activity on what they learned about themselves and others during the process.
Encourage students to revisit the driving question and articulate how their projects answer it.

Note:

Use sentence starters, word banks, and graphic organizers for students at lower proficiency levels.
Encourage advanced students to include more detail in responses.

Resources and Other Materials

Pixton: For creating visual storyboards.
Book Creator: For creating visual story.
Flipgrid/Seesaw/Recording Apps: For capturing and sharing interviews.
Story Corp: For examples of interviews and some questions.
Digital Templates/Organizers: For story planning and scaffolding.

Reflection

The design of this learning experience successfully aligned with the goal of fostering student expression and improving language proficiency. The driving question, "How can we share our unique stories and experiences in a way that leaves a meaningful and lasting impression on others?" provided a meaningful focus and motivated students to connect their personal narratives with their language learning. Using Pixon to create visuals added an engaging, creative element that helped scaffold students’ storytelling.

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