Rotation 1: Sharing Your Story

WEEK 1: Get Inspired

Week of 9/13 - 9/17: This week, students jumped right in to this new experience with wonder and excitement! Our main goal was to build our communication skills and find similarities in one another in an effort to establish a strong foundation for our classroom. Students participated in Socratic Semniar discussions, which are student-led discussions focused on a particular topic or idea. During these seminars, students learned to be the leaders of the conversation, practice active listening, and push themselves to step out of their comfort zones by sharing their thoughts and ideas with peers. Students did a great job and I appreciate everyone's effort in participation! We also spent time watching and analyzing student-created documentaries which will help us begin thinking about our own stories we want to share!

WEEK 2: What's My Story?

Week of 9/20 - 9.24: As we have started to become more acquainted with one another, students devoted time this week to tracking their identities and exploring what makes them unique. We spent time researching our cultural backgrounds and analyzing our personalities. Students created their first video project which showcased important elements of their idenity. This has helped us get to know one another more and cultivate connections in our classroom. Many students are excited to share their identity videos with their classmates.

WEEK 3: Storyboarding

Week of 9/27 - 10/1: This week, students brainstormed ideas for their documentaries as they reflected on three concepts: Message, Purpose, and Audience to help them discover their "Why". Once students had a clear idea about what they wanted to share, they began drafting their narration. This will be the voice of their stories. Students were now ready for some hands-on experience and began gathering media footage for their documentaries. Towards the end of the week, they partnered up to listen to one another's ideas and gain feedback. It's been a pleasure hearing everyone's ideas and thoughts!

WEEK 4: Stitching it Together

Week of 10/4 - 10/8: After a week of brainstorming, sharing, and hearing feedback from one another, students narrowed down their documentaries to three choices:

How the Pandemic has Affected Me
I Am From poem
Personal message

This week was all about gathering footage. This included taking videos, pictures, and conducting interviews. Many students spent time outside of school gathering the perfect pieces they needed to fit their stories.

It was great to see them come back each day excited to share what they had done the night before.

At the begining of each class period, students set an achievable goal for themselves, something they could accomplish in about 40 minutes. This helped them stay organized and know what their "next steps" were in the videography process.

WEEK 5: Showcase Days

Week of 10/12 - 10/19: This week, students put the final touches on their documentaries. Final edits, teacher-student conferences, and last minute additions prepped students for their showcase day. Students relied on their checklists to make sure they included all required criteria. On our showcase days, administration and faculty was invited to join us during our viewing sessions. This was a very special time to celebrate everyone's hard work and devotion to their project.

Activities & Challenges

On Mondays, students are tasked with analzying a photograph posted on the NY Times website that lacks a caption. Students begin class by independently brainstorming what they believe is going on in the picture using details and inferencing skills. Next, students gather in a large circle and participate in a Socratic Seminar. Socratic Seminars are group discussions that a student-driven. Students practice how to listen to one another, make meaning, and find common ground while participating in conversation. The goal for students is to keep the conversation rolling, and advance the conversation by questioning one another in order to build on ideas and understand different perspectives. The teacher rarely interjects, as it's purpose is to be completely student-led.

Sixth graders have realyl grown in this area during our time together and it's great to hear their diverse perspectives on a variety of topics.

A day in a209

Angel Island Poetry Project

Eigth graders in Ms. Peterson's American History class spent four days in the Humanities Lab extending their learning about the Angel Island Immigration Station. Students read the poetry and stories carved into the walls of the building representing the experiences of immigrations who were held there. Using WeVideo, partners chose a poem they could create a video to match the poet's words, tone, and overall message. They analyzed word choice, picked out music to set the tone, and chose images to create a digital story.

Report abuse