I confess, I had hoped to be farther along by now. My plan was to have students write their paragraphs (one to two typed pages) this week, hand them in to me, and I would correct them and return them in time for them to use the paragraphs in creating their presentation. So far three students have handed in their paragraphs.
For the next two weeks I was able to schedule only 45 minutes a day in the labs at school. From now on students will need to do more of their work at home. They will need to get their written work turned in to me as early as possible next week so I have time to grade it and return it for them to start using it in creating their projects. They can then use the computers at school (and at home) to work on their projects. Having a flash drive to move their work from home to school will be really helpful!
They have several options for presentations:
- read their paper aloud
- make a video
- make an exhibit/PowerPoint
- do a dramatic presentation (solo or with help from friends)
- make a website (free on weebly.com)
Parents, YOU CAN HELP. You can help students find quality resources if they are still having difficulty. Make sure they are taking notes—words and phrases, not copying whole sentences. Once they have written their paragraphs, make suggestions for revising for organizations and content. Help with editing.
When they are ready to create their presentation, let them “build” it on their own first. Then follow the same process of giving suggestions for revising and editing.
I appreciate all your help, and (in time) they will too.