This week’s blog post is intended to help you jumpstart your literacy narrative assignment (which in turn will prepare you for your service-learning project). We begin this journey thinking, writing, and discussing education.
In fact, our theme for this entire class will focus on ideas related to learning although this journey will move from our own growth and development (in the literacy narrative assignment) to learning important lessons (such as how to kill zombies or white walkers) for the remaining assignments.
Our preparation for this week's blog post began in class:
- Pick one of these quotes about education – or if you prefer do an internet search for education quotes and pick one of those – then spend a few minutes reflecting and writing about why you think this idea is important and come up with a story from your past that demonstrates this idea
- Choose a selection, focused on the idea of education and thinking, from the This I Believe textbook or online archive - then spend a few minutes reflecting and writing about why this "belief" appeals to you. The ones we used in class:
After you read your chosen essay, complete the following steps:
- Note the main claim of the essay
- Note the writer's strongest evidence
- Respond to the essay in writing
- Note any questions you may have about the argument, claim, or issue
- Where do you stand? Do you agree with the author or disagree? Why?
- As a class we discussed the main claims of the four essays and then you each drew a graphic representing the relationship among these ideas, wrote an explanation of that graphic representation, and we discussed these ideas
Now, outside of class, you have three more things to do:
- First, check out the Youtube Playlist “What is education for?” (note: the whole playlist is under an hour, but you don’t have to watch all the videos. You should pick at least four to watch before selecting one to write about).
After you watch your chosen video, complete the following steps:
- Note the main claim of the video essay
- Note the strongest evidence
- Respond to the video in writing
- Note any questions you may have about the argument, claim, or issue
- Where do you stand? Do you agree with the claim or disagree? Why?
2. Then pick one of these selections to read and respond to:
After you read your chosen essay, complete the following steps:
- Note the main claim of the essay
- Note the writer's strongest evidence
- Respond to the essay in writing
- Note any questions you may have about the argument, claim, or issue
- Where do you stand? Do you agree with the author or disagree? Why?
Look back at your writing and graphic from class as well as your writing from outside of class then write a short argument that fits within this conversation. Your argument should make a claim and cite evidence from the material you explored as well as your experience to support your claim. Then post your argument to the "Why Are We Here' blog.