Summary
Students conducted a group-guided journey through a short novel of their choice. Groups were encouraged to reach their own insights, ask their own questions, and create their own timeline for reading, discussion, and discovery (within some established parameters and major deadlines). In addition to accurately comprehending the basic elements of the story, each group also used their creativity to make a website to showcase what they learned in their study of the novel, its author, and its historical and critical context. Finally, each group delivered a 20-minute lesson to the class that was inspired by the novel (though wasn’t necessarily directly about the novel). Throughout this process, students wrote reflective journal entries on their reactions to the novel, their role in the group, and the group’s performance. At the conclusion of the project, students wrote a reflective essay about the personal value and success of the project overall.
TIPC Ratings
This lesson falls in the Ideal range for Research and Information Fluency. Students needed to research the historical and literary contexts for the novel, the author’s biographical details to determine relevance, and schools of literary criticism to decide on two that would be most relevant to their study of the novel. Beyond some initial guidelines and suggested resources, students had to work together to determine their own path for conducting the research, organizing their work, and incorporating their findings into their websites and lessons.
This lesson falls in the Ideal range for Communication and Collaboration. Groups were determined by student interest in the available novels for study. While some class time was provided for students to work, groups had to determine their own schedule for meeting and working on the various tasks, the roles for each group member, and the delegation of tasks. Throughout the project, students wrote reflective entries on the group process and their effectiveness as a group member in relation to their role. In order to coordinate tasks, students used Google Docs for sharing information and planning, Google Calendar to create group calendars and track progress, and Google Mail for communication and coordination.
This lesson falls in the Ideal range for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Throughout the project, students had to think carefully about their chosen text and the historical, biographical, and literary context in order to determine what to include in their website, which schools of criticism to focus on, and what type of lesson they could present to the class that would be inspired by the text. For the website, students had to figure out the best way to take advantage of the tools Google Sites provide in order to best showcase their learning. For the class lesson, students had to determine what thematic idea related to their work they would teach to the class and the best method and activities for conveying that idea.
This project falls in the Ideal range for Creativity and Innovation. Students had to create a website that best showcased their learning and were limited only by the constraints of Google Sites in deciding the look, layout, content, and organization. In addition, students had to determine the type of lesson that could best convey their chosen thematic idea, which included deciding on the model, method of delivery, activity, and discussion prompts. While students were encouraged to use their websites as point of origin for the lesson, many supplemented the lesson with other tools.
Student Artifact
All student websites are linked from the class website.
Download Files
- Lesson Plan [PDF]
- Classroom Website (contains guidelines, timeline, handouts, and resources)
