October 30, 2008

Homework
1,2:
Finish Unit 4
Quiz unit 4

3,6,7:
Good rough draft of the Fight the Good Fight essay is due

Today
1,2:
We finished up the recordings.  I will be processing the as quickly as possible so we can watch them and begin the voting! 

3,6,7:
We had a little competition.  I gave the students one minute to persuade the class.  The winner was the one who could engage us for a full minute with good voice and good facts.  In all classes, the competition was close.   We even had a speak-off in one class!  The point of the exercise was to get the students to see that you have to speak with enthiasium if you are to be persuasive. 

Today's exercise inspired me.  Next week, when we give our speeches, students will be put head-to-head with another student.  The speaker who is the most dynamic and persuasive will win.  And yes, I do think it is fair.  An inspirational speech IS a competition.  You are competing for the hearts of the listeners.  By having the class actively engaged in the speeches, there is a greater incentive to perform well.  Most time when I get students in front of the class, they read like it is a terrible duty they have to do.  They want it over with.  Today showed me that the kids will put a little extra into their speaking when the can see who it is they need to beat.  They won't be reading for some vague rubric.  When they hear the other person speak, they will know what they are up against!

The format will go like this.  First, each student will give a 30 second taste of their paper, showing the other person what he/she is up against. Then we will flip a coin to see who go first.  Then it is on.  The students will have a rubric.  When the class has finished their scoring, I will get the results one by one, put them in a spreadsheet, and see what the total is.  (I have done this for years with another assignment.)