Summer Institute

It was apropos  that Christin had us draw the thinking that led to our inquiry.  The inquiry I decided upon  during the Summer Institute is Independent Reading and the 21st Century.  Below is the map of my thinking.
Inquiry

UNCC Writing Project

For the next few weeks, I will be participating in the UNCC Writing Project....something I have been wanting to do for several years. We got started this past week with activities we can use with our classes:  Writing Timeline, Mapping Childhood Home/Community,  Murray Cards,  and Mentor Texts.

Mapping the Classroom and the School was a great self-reflection  activity that I would like to do with my English department.  As I mapped where student writing goes after the students finish a piece, I  realized that I could expand the ways students publish their writings to make their writing more authentic.

I am very intrigued with 21st century literacy, so I am thinking about using this topic for my Demonstation and Inquiry. My passion with the topic began a while back as I was reading an article in which the author said that in order to teach 21st century learners, we must speak their language.

Below is an example of  21st century literacy that can be used in classrooms.  It is an Xtranormal video that I made about the Writing Project. Xtranormal is neat digital storytelling site. Kids love writing scripts and making these robotic movies!

Writing Project

by: debbie.biggers

So,  this week, I will be working on my self-selected writing piece (about me), a digital timeline about me as a writer, a book review, my inquiry, and my demonstration.  I was told this week that Peter Elbow says that writers should work on multiple pieces of writing at the same time, and one can give inspiration to another....I hope he is right!