JOANNE
PAYLING
Diary #30
They
Are Demonstrating, in the Best
Possible
Way, Their Understanding
After studying the elements of fiction and plot, various literary devices, reading a few novels, numerous short stories, and then focusing on Tall Tales, I assigned my students to write an illustrated American tall tale presented in book form and based on the following definition that one class had brainstormed:
An American tall tale is about
1. An American
HERO
2. Who is an EXAGGERATION
3. Who performs an incredible FEAT
4. By triumphing over NATURE/MACHINE (technology) OR
5. By CREATING a part of the American landscape OR a new way of doing
something
- Audience
is elementary school children
- Present story in a picture book format
- Story should be approximately 300-500 words long
- Story must include AT LEAST 3 exaggerations and one incredible feat
- Include the elements of fiction: setting, plot, character, theme, point
of view
- Include the elements of plot: initiating conflict (problem), rising
action, climax, falling action, and solution.
Based on the sampling I have graded so far, their stories are exceptional.
I have discovered how Lake Tahoe was formed, how the Mississippi River
came to be, how the Oklahoma Dust Bowl was ended, how a rattlesnake was
twisted into a dog-shaped balloon, and any number of other humorous anecdotes.
These stories are a joy to read. And I still have 130 more to peruse,
assess, and enjoy.
It began with moans and groans
When I made this assignment, I was greeted with various moans and groans. Some students groused, "But I wrote one of these in 5th grade!" Others thought it was silly or pointless. I smiled at each complaint and said nothing.
How do you explain to a 14 year-old that what they write in 8th grade will be (okay, should be) worlds different than what they produced three years earlier? To them, 5th grade was almost yesterday. They don't see their own growth or expanded knowledge base. They don't understand that their story is a performance-based assessment of their grasp of all the elements of literature.
My reward came, though, both by reading their tales, and by comments like "Gee, I didn't think I'd like doing this, but it turned out to be lots of fun!" The mother of one of my students is our school's art teacher. She enjoyed her son's tall tale so much that she asked if I could share some of the stories with her so that her students could illustrate them. Now that is a gratifying collaboration and affirmation!
Percolating
I am already percolating ideas on how to improve this assignment for next year. I wish I could say that every successful lesson/unit I have taught this year was well thought out and planned to the last detail. I can't.
Certainly I know what I need to teach. The California standards are at the forefront of my mind and guide my teaching and planning. However, it is sometimes the case that I see the big picture of what I am doing after I do it.
Serendipity seems to play a role in the directions I take. I wonder if many new teachers find this. I knew I wanted my students to write a tall tale. In part, I wanted it to be a reward and enjoyment for them after the difficult work they did for the district writing proficiency. I also knew it would tap into my students' creativity and humor. I knew it would incorporate elements of plot and fiction.
I knew it was a good assignment. What I recognize now, though, as I grade their fine efforts, is just how emphatically they are demonstrating, in the best possible way, their understanding of all the areas we have been exploring for the past several months.
This realization came to me as I noticed their use of so many of the literary devices we had discussed and looked for in the texts we had read. Most of my 8th graders automatically incorporated similes, metaphors, alliteration, and even onomatopoeias into their hero's incredible feats and exaggerated personas without being directed to. Even their plot lines and character development seemed to flow effortlessly.
These things show me so vividly that information is sinking into their often-distracted brains. They are listening even when it seems they are not, and they are owning their learning, whether they realize it or not. What more can a teacher ask for?
All things considered, this was a good week!
