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This project was created to foster a sense of community between two grade levels in the high school and encourage communication between the grades. To insure a balanced assessment format, this project goes beyond just writing papers for the standards portfolio. Instead, the students were required to work on their communication skills with an interview project that forced them to talk to other students in the school. I gave the students a list of questions each Junior would have to ask of a pre-selected Freshman student. I randomly paired the interviewers to their subjects for a more informative project. The students would have to personally ask their person the questions, write the answers down, get the signature of their subject, write a paragraph abot the answers, and staple the whole project together to turn in This project can fit into several of the higher level Illinois State Learning Standards because it involves communication, directions, and a written product.
Demonstrated Skills and Behaviours
Multiple goals existed for this assignment. The students would have to follow directions carefully. They had to write the answers on the sheet of paper given to them. They had to make sure their interviewee signed and printed his or her name on the form. The students then had to break down the information into a sophisticated paragraph. The students would also have to use their communication skills. I intentionally made the Juniors interview the Freshmen because their social circles rarely intersect. This activity required that the students hunt down their interview subject and actually talk to him or her. Because of this hunt, students were forced to go out of their comfortable daily routines and actually extend themselves socially. Having to write a paragraph about their subject made the students pay attention to the information given in the interviews. Finally the students were to use their writing skills in the creation of the paragraph. This assignment was met with a mixed response. Some of the students were excited to be doing something different for the class. Others were befuddled about having to find their chosen Freshman. Finally, several of the students tried every excuse they could devise in attempts to get me to believe that they could not possibly go out of their wayto talk to someone different during their day. These resonses only hardened my resolve that this project would be a success. The final interview paragraphs turned out great. Of course, several students attempted to forge the information, but they were caught quickly due to all of the safeguards inherent in the assignment.
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NBPTS Core Propositions
This project supports many of the propositions. It works well with the Illinois State Standards, so it fits within the subject area, it creates a learning community within the school, it is easy to monitor, and it is an easy project to alter for different years or attitudes.
Reflection
In creating this assignment, I was looking for something different for the students to put in their Standards portfolios. At first, I was going to have them interview each other, but the idea of working between the classes was unusual and exciting. So many of the Juniors did not even know who their subjects were. In a school as small as mine, that kind of insularity is just ridiculous! Having the students work on an assignment that so readily worked with multiple intelligences turned out to be a great experience. Some students had no problems with the actual interview, but they needed help putting the answers to paper. Others usually have no difficulty with writing, but were terrified to talk to someone they did not know well. This project allowed me to see and discuss the students' weaknesses and strengths. After finishing the project, I was pleased with the results. Many students had well-crafted paragraphs on previously unknown students. I figured we would move on from this assignment with little comment from the students. Instead, they wanted to talk about their difficulties and accomplishments! We were able to have a discussion about the interviews, and many of the students seemed to appreciate this unforeseen closure. Recently, I have had students ask when we will do a similar assignment! I like that this random assignment turned into something so helpful for the students. I also love that it helped the students see themselves as part of a community that includes the lowerclassmen! I plan to use this several times over the next years. I learned about how I taught and how my students learned from me. Several times over that last few years, I have created some sort of project that turned out to be so much more than just a random homework assignment. I think this is because I am more relaxed when I create the assignments that turn out to be the most interesting; wehn I am trying to force the creation of a project, the results are sometimes less than spectacular. This leads me to believe even more in the idea of doing work ahead of time, so I do not feel pressured to create something.
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