Teaching High School
I Have a Dream Assignment
This assignment was one of the last sections in my Civil Rights Movement Unit. After learning about the March on Washington, students were asked to create their own, 'I Have a Dream' speech that addresses injustice or some problem in society. The next day students shared their speeches and I was simply blown away with their dreams. It was a great opportunity to learn more about each student and to connect with them on a deeper level. It also allowed students to share their voices with their fellow classmates. We had very poignant discussions about the various dreams, and we came back to their speeches again during the final lesson of the unit, when we reviewed the various methods used to create change during the Civil Rights Movement. We looked at each dream and determined which method, if any, was the best way to make their particular dreams come true. Please click below to see some examples of the speeches:
Dream Speech 1
Dream Speech 2
Dream Speech 3
Junior Year Research Paper
The Junior Research Paperwas a huge undertaking for my students. This was the first time that they had written a thesis paper and it took time and a lot of effort for them to begin to understand the difference between a thesis paper and a biography. Many were overwhelmed with the concept of coming up with their own arguments that needed to be supported with evidence. Some students reverted back to the comfort of a biography paper and didn't turn in a thesis paper as assigned, however after months of work, most students were very proud to turn in their very first thesis papers. In order to aid the students in their efforts, I assigned the students a number of "check-ins" to make sure they were on track. They had to show me examples of sources, a thesis proposal, an annotated bibliography, and two or three rough drafts of various lengths before the final paper was due.
Please click below to view a thesis paper about Louis Armstrong.
Louis Armstrong
1920's Magazine Assignment
For this assignment, students researched and wrote about how a particular topic (such as music or consumer goods) contributed to popular culture in the 1920's. Students then presented their findings to the class as I guided them by asking them questions about their category. At the end of the lesson I collected their work and created a "magazine" compilation of their papers. Each student then received a copy of the "magazine." Students learned a lot about the 1920's culture from this assignment as evidenced by their short responses in their 1920's quiz that they took the following week. Please click below to see some of the "magazine" pages.
1920's Magazine Assignment