This week I was able to explore various digital tools that help engage students in writing tasks.
Writing Prompts
Looking at different writing prompts, I selected two prompts that could have motivated and supported a student I have taught last year.
“If you could have a super power, what would it be? ? Why? Details as to what you would do with it. Opinions as to how it would help you or others.” I chose this prompt, because this is a topic that interests the student. He is a very quiet student and would often get distracted during class. Though, every day, during break time he would tell me, he has turned on his invisibility superpower and would dance in front of me. I believe one of the factors causing his distraction in class, was that he was not engaged in the tasks. Thus, using prompt like this could have motivated him to participate and could have encouraged him to use his imagination in his writing.
"Funny photos - Write a story about at least one of the above images.”
I chose this prompt, because the student is an ESL learner and gets
nervous attending English class.
Picture prompts provide just enough information to serve as a stress-free
starting point for students to tell their own stories. Using picture prompts, is a
fun and simple way to spark creativity and to visually stimulate learners.
English language learners can benefit greatly from using picture prompts as
writing tools. They can be help students generate ideas and offer visual
vocabulary support.
The prompt is universally applicable. It allows the learner to choose which
picture to use as inspiration and how to interpret it and all students can use
the same prompt no matter their abilities.
Graphic organizers
I selected one out of many graphic organisers to adapt a unit plan I will create as part of a different assignment.
I chose a cause and effect graphic organizer as a tool to help clarify and organize complex information and ideas. This can help identify the effects of any cause and causes of any effect. It visually represents the relationship between various ideas or events.
This tool can help me visualise and better comprehend the steps that need to occur in order to reach the learning outcomes of the Unit. I need to look at the end effect, the learning outcomes, fist and then create the summative assessment and activities to reach these goals. Thus, I need to start at the end of the graphic organiser, moving backwards throughout the planning process.
Poetry
To support the students in creating poetry, I selected and practiced using one of the digital tools provided to us.
Blackout poetry uses a standard text (from a newspaper, magazine article, or as in my case a book) to draw a new meaning from something initially made by someone else. The students use a marker or google drawings to blacks out all of the words except for a select few to create poetry in a fun and creative way.
Here you can see my first try at blackout poetry:
https://ditchthattextbook.com/using-google-drawings-to-create-blackout-poetry-in-the-classroom/
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