I've presented at Write to Learn many times. I love that conference. Good job Willy Wood. Below are resources from some of those presentations. 

Just think!
Readings & diagrams

I ask students to think through about the articles or diagrams in writing, to dissect and pick it apart. It's pass-fail in my room. Give it a good go and Pass. I will put an I for Incomplete if they are almost there and let them add more thinking.

10 Things in School That Should be Obsolete
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/07/10-things-in-school-that-should-be-obsolete/

I'm Ok, You're Ok diagram
http://www.gp-training.net/training/communication_skills/ta/lifeposi.gif

Maslow's Hierarchey of Needs
http://changingminds.org/images/maslow.gif


Commonplace books

Photos of commonplace books
http://blevinsenglish2.weebly.com/commonplace-books.html

About Me spread (A spread is two side-by-side pages) Students found graphics from magazines to show me anything they wanted about themselves. I asked for a minimum of four graphics with captions of at least two sentences each.

My "Obsession" : This is a spread about something that gives the student joy, a hobby, a collection, a team, a band, an activity, a sport, one thing that they can write about and find a graphic for. They need to write two paragraphs and find a graphic to illustrate.

"I am...: spread: These are typically the hardest because it is abstract thinking. Students are to find at least four symbols or metaphors of their personalities. They need to have a 3-sentence or more explanation of each symbol. For example: an ice cube with the caption "I am pretty chill. I don't get too worried about anything which annoys people sometimes. I just feel like everything will turn out so why worry?" Or a light bulb with a way they are creative, etc.

2 symbols ½ page of writing each

3 symbols 1 paragraph of explanation each

4 symbols 3 sentences of explanation each

The Shoes Project 

Click the shoes photo to go to my powerpoint. 
Click HERE to read a blog post about this project. 

Chicago Public Schools Strike

I put the students in teams randomly. They had to present the perspective I gave them to the other students using only a poster with 10 words and as many symbols as they wanted. (Kelly Gallagher)
Audience members had to not only take notes on the perspective presented but write a one-sentence reflection after it ended. They used this information to write a one-pager on their opinion of the strike and why.
chicago_public_schools_files_for_a_preliminary_injunction_to_return_chicago_students_to_class.docx
File Size: 18 kb
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chicago_teachers_strike.docx
File Size: 14 kb
File Type: docx
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chicago_teachers_suspend_strike.docx
File Size: 18 kb
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teacher.docx
File Size: 13 kb
File Type: docx
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the_chicago_teachers_union_represents_30.docx
File Size: 16 kb
File Type: docx
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