Summary
Students choose an individual who has faced and overcome adversity. While researching this individual, students design a presentation that incorporates a Word Wizard role, a Discussion Leader role, and a Summarizer role, as well as any other roles that the students would like to use. Students then use their research to write historical fiction interviews featuring the individual that they researched.
(This is part of a larger unit that begins with student reading, analyzing and interpreting “Hard as Nails” by Russell Baker, “Water” by Helen Keller, Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller, and “Zlata’s
Diary” by Zlata Filipovic.)
TIPC Ratings
Prior to the Overcoming Adversity Project, students work through the Entry and Developing phases of the chart. As they delve into creating their own presentation, they reach the Approaching stage of the chart. Strategies (using EasyBib, using OneSource as a database tool to locate verified sources) are modeled for students. The project designs challenges promoting synthesis of resources to address authentic tasks, and asks students to consider how they can make their project relevant to real world problems. Students are supported as they acquire, evaluate, and apply information. Some students may reach the Ideal/Target stage as the students independently engage in research and using information fluently as the teacher facilitates and formatively assesses authentic tasks.
This project models a range of communication methods and digital tools while designing challenges that promote collaboration within and beyond the classroom to address an authentic class. Students are taught how to collaborate purposefully without direct supervision (although they may require monitoring and are encouraged to bring problems to the teacher prior to the culmination of the project). The teacher facilitates and formatively assesses authentic tasks where students are engaged in meaningful communication and purposeful collaboration. The students select their own groups, establish group norms, and organize roles (with a structured framework provided), to address an authentic tasks. Students use appropriate digital tools to facilitate collaboration. In some situations, students also selected appropriate digital tools to communicate and collaborate with peers, regardless of time zone or physical differences. Students also reflected on their roles as communicators and collaborators and set goals for future growth.
This project could easily be implemented at the Ideal/Target stage. Since my students are sixth graders and are fairly new to research skills, they didn’t fully obtain the Ideal/Target stage, but they certainly made progress towards this level. A range of critical thinking and/or problem solving skills and digital tools were modeled, and instruction was designed that promoted solutions to authentic tasks. Students were supported as they engaged challenges and problems purposefully. Students generated and responded to purposeful questions, justified decision-making and/or problem solving practices, and applied digital tools to think critically, solving open-ended authentic tasks that require higher order thinking skills. Students also reflected on their roles as critical thinkers and/or problem solvers and set goals for future growth.
Strategic risk taking, creativity, and craftsmanship was modeled through the use of an ActivInspire Adversity flipchart and a variety of incorporated media throughout the project. Opportunities for students to synthesize research, communicate/collaborate, and apply critical thinking skills to address an authentic task were created. A learning environment where students are engaged in creativity and innovation was developed, facilitated, and assessed. Students analyzed trends by comparing different genres, media forms, and different individuals, inspiring new solutions to the authentic task of creating an interview to share a story of overcoming adversity. Students created meaningful, original work within the assignment parameters. The opportunity was given for some students to synthesize existing and self-generated knowledge to create new ideas and products within and beyond assignment parameters. Students were encouraged to choose strategic risks that supported innovation, and reflected on the creative/innovative process, setting goals for future growth.
