Success :)

What to say about today...

I  gave them the paper to read over and critique on their own for 10 minutes, and then asked if they'd like to work in small groups first, or skip to a larger group conversation. "I get shy!" my sometimes-too-talkative, but wonderfully-insightful, student whispered, so they went to small groups first for 5 minutes.

While they discussed their findings, I wrote up group discussion questions on the board: followed by "How? Where? Suggestions for revision?"
a) Does this paper address the prompt?
b) Are the author's ideas fully developed?
c) Does the author use source material for support?
d) What draft do you think this excerpt came from?

Once my students came out of small groups, we formed a circle, I put a platter of brownies in the middle (one student scooted his chair to the middle, grabbed the platter, scooted back to his place in the circle, took a brownie, and then passed the plate), we laughed, and then broke into discussion.

They were quiet at first, but after a few students had offered their initial observations (how the title doesn't relate; what they would expect from such a title; how the student could have tied it back in; etc., etc.), they started to offer more commentary. It took my asking them 3-4 times what they might have done different, or how they could correct an issue before they stopped offering critiques alone and started offering their critique along with a suggestion for revision.

Ahhhhh.... It was nice.


Conversation kept up for about 40 minutes, and when it seemed to be coming to a close, I posted my final question on the board:

e) Can you apply your critique of this paper to your own paper?

I had them take out their drafts/outlines/etc., etc. and critique their own papers. Most of the students seemed to be working diligently. A couple laughed over areas in their papers that needed work, but "still weren't as bad as that chick's"; however, there still seemed to be a general silence coming from the two girls who hadn't participated on Tuesday, as well as one of the guys who was absent. (He actually came into class, sat down for the critique, and as soon as I asked my final question, he got up, and walked out - leaving his bookbag and notebook in his seat... as far as I know, it's still there. He didn't return before I left the class at 11:20.)

I told my students to be sure to write their comments on their drafts to take home with them, but I also had them turn in a short critique of their work to me, so that I can see what they're picking up on. I told them that once they were finished writing the critique, they were free to go. My last student left class at 11:18. WOW. I didn't think they'd leave quite so early, but can you guess who were the first to leave? ...

I don't like having a negative attitude towards my students, but I've made myself available to discuss the paper, and whatever else they might want to talk about in the class, and three of them, in particular, aren't reciprocating the effort. I can't help them if they don't want helped, so I'm praying that they take the extra time I gave them, and use it wisely.

I'm glancing over the critiques they've written about themselves, and I've noticed that all of my students wrote  in bullet points, (which explains why they finished so quickly) and the most popular comments seem to be:

• I address the prompt from the beginning, but I'm a little too broad/ambiguous
• I chose nice quotes to use, but I don't work with them/analyze them enough.
• I have nice "quote sandwiches," but my ideas don't really relate from paragraph to paragraph.
• I don't think that I've developed a strong enough connection between the two sources I'm using.
• I like my paper, but it doesn't address the prompt.

My goals have been met :)