ID Cards:
Opening With Lessons
in creativity, writing,
Self-discovery
& Public Speaking
It's my 20th year teaching secondary English!!
I kicked off September by having all my students create colorful, mind-mapped "ID Cards."
It's an attractive exercise for students because it's fun, introspective, and new. It also happens to be a perfect way to introduce my classes to some of the fundamental lessons I hope they learn during our time together.
I kicked off September by having all my students create colorful, mind-mapped "ID Cards."
It's an attractive exercise for students because it's fun, introspective, and new. It also happens to be a perfect way to introduce my classes to some of the fundamental lessons I hope they learn during our time together.
In both classes I teach -- Creativity Workshop and AP Language -- students are required to do this assignment. All my pupils need to learn the basics of creativity: the power of color, the dynamics of mind-mapping, and the rewards of self-expression. These ID cards are a perfect way to begin teaching these tenets.
I execute this lesson by handing out extra large index cards to the class. "The idea here is for you to mind map your passions, activities, hobbies, and anything else that you really love," I instruct. Then I show them the examples on my website's art gallery.
I give them "workshop time" in class to start them, encourage them to do first drafts in their notebooks (gotta teach the layering process!), and ask them to finish them within three days.
When they all have their ID cards ready, I lead them in a whip around the room. Each and every student must explain a bit about the topics on their cards. (Plus, I intro my public speaking lessons!)
I give them "workshop time" in class to start them, encourage them to do first drafts in their notebooks (gotta teach the layering process!), and ask them to finish them within three days.
When they all have their ID cards ready, I lead them in a whip around the room. Each and every student must explain a bit about the topics on their cards. (Plus, I intro my public speaking lessons!)
Can you believe the effort they put into this project ? I even tell them, "There's no grade on it. Just have fun and let me know what's important to you."
I think it proves true what John Steinbeck wrote in The Pearl: "Every man in the world functions to the best of his ability, and no one does less than his best, no matter what he may think about it."
How would I grade it anyway? I've worked hard to encourage and teach art-making without grading the work. That's why I've developed my two-tier evaluation system: Creative work is labelled either "edited" or "final."
"Edited" work must be revised, polished, and re-submitted.
I think it proves true what John Steinbeck wrote in The Pearl: "Every man in the world functions to the best of his ability, and no one does less than his best, no matter what he may think about it."
How would I grade it anyway? I've worked hard to encourage and teach art-making without grading the work. That's why I've developed my two-tier evaluation system: Creative work is labelled either "edited" or "final."
"Edited" work must be revised, polished, and re-submitted.
I hold these index cards in my hands during the first few weeks of school and use them to get to know the students or "cold call" during a lesson. Once I have the names memorized, I turn them into a bulletin board that looks awesome and inspires many compliments.
In the spring students add them to their portfolios.
In the spring students add them to their portfolios.
For an extra twist: One of the first concepts I cover in AP Language is parallel structure.
Students had to pre-write what they would say in the whip and be sure to experiment with parallelisms.
Students had to pre-write what they would say in the whip and be sure to experiment with parallelisms.
This activity demonstrates another one of my fundamental philosophies of education: Be Student Centered!
It's one thing to teach them parallel structure and all the finer grammatical points that entails.
It's a whole other ballgame to ask them to APPLY the lessons by writing about themselves.
It's one thing to teach them parallel structure and all the finer grammatical points that entails.
It's a whole other ballgame to ask them to APPLY the lessons by writing about themselves.
More student-centeredness!
The parallel structure unit ends with pupils constructing "Facebook Updates" to practice what they've learned.
After parallel structure, I take my AP classes into lessons on sentence variety and rhetorical devices like anaphora, antithesis, and chiasmus.
I teach more than creativity!!! I love to instruct on the finer points of the sentence -- which leads to the paragraph and the essay and the research paper.
For more on how I teach "The Essay" click here:)!
The parallel structure unit ends with pupils constructing "Facebook Updates" to practice what they've learned.
After parallel structure, I take my AP classes into lessons on sentence variety and rhetorical devices like anaphora, antithesis, and chiasmus.
I teach more than creativity!!! I love to instruct on the finer points of the sentence -- which leads to the paragraph and the essay and the research paper.
For more on how I teach "The Essay" click here:)!
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