Rhetorical Analysis of a Website and a Little Service Learning

Our campus became an iPad 1:1 campus last year, and this one assignment went from meaningful yet tedious to meaningful and easy. One of the bazillion standards to be covered is the dreading analyzing visual media. On the one hand this is an essential skill, but on the other, this can be cumbersome to try and "fit in" in just the right spot and without it feeling forced. Several years ago, when we started working humanitarian aid organizations into our realm of study (then it was coupled with the reading of the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and his Central Asia Institute which focuses on the education of girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan), we came up with the idea of asking the kids to analyze his website. We started with the basics of rhetoric: rhetorical situation, rhetorical appeals, use of images, etc. Then, when we did not have as much access to technology, we would book the lab, spend two days in the lab reading the website, taking notes, etc. Then, the kids would put together a presentation of their choice. Some would do a poster board, some would use PowerPoint, some would get really fancy and use Prezi. Really, because the technology access was inconsistent, we gave a ton of choice. When we had use of Netbooks 1:1 in my classroom, I required a technology based presentation, but still had to give up more class time to insure that even those who don't have technology at home could make it happen.

Then, the iPads came. Now, my unit of humanitarian aid organizations has grown into something much bigger (you can find several more posts here on my blog about this assignment), and  this idea of a website analysis is the first of several steps we ask the kids to take. Now, with the iPads, we use Explain Everything. This app is AMAZING! It allows you to create individual slides (ala PowerPoint) by drawing, writing, typing etc. onto a solid colored background. Then, you can record a voiceover for each slide individually. Then, when it is finished, you can export it to YouTube as a video. Each slide becomes the link of the audio file! VOILA!!

Now for the best part! You can import a web browser onto a slide of your Explain Everything presentation. While that web browser is on the screen, it is FULLY ACTIVE...GAME CHANGER!!!

Now my kids simply put the website onto a slide, hit record, and browse the website while recording their explanation. In a 2-3 minute long video I can see if they understand all of these things:

1. rhetorical situation,

2. rhetorical appeals,

3. rhetorical analysis (how/why rhetorical choice is important),

4. analyzing visual media,

5. how a non-profit uses the web as a rhetorical platform (this is part of our larger discussion).

The best part, I provide instructions, provide a day or two of work time, and then it is due within a week. The app makes it soooo easy and seamless, that there is very little time actually needed to put the presentation together.  Check out a few samples below if you would like to see the final products!

I Love Santa!

Our district has been pairing Cottonwood Creek Elementary Kindergartners and First Graders with high school English classes to write letters to Santa every December for over 15 years. This year was extra special because my very own kindergartner, Jaelyn Jo, got to come with her classmates to my classroom! The little ones love coming to the high school and seeing the big kids. The big ones love working with the little ones and helping them write their letters. It is especially fun for my kids who remember writing to letters at the high school when they were in elementary school. Here are some pics I snapped during the visit!

Infographics as Assessment Part 2...Some Reflections

Every time I get a wild hair of an idea for a new assessment, I always worry about how it will go. Will the kids like it? Will they get it? Will it reinforce the skills I need it to? The ultimate plan was to combine rhetorical analysis skills, research skills, and synthesis skills into one presentation. Whew! That makes me tired just thinking about it. There was a lot of moving parts, and some of the kids struggled with this. We broke the assignment down into small chunks and checked off one part at time. This was great! The kids needed some feedback along the way to help insure they were on the right track. I set aside time to conference with kids about their ideas, their struggles, help with document ideas, and to help with understanding what an infographic is and how it works.This was a MUST, without this my kids who have been lost. Scaffolding for my struggling kids was HUGE! There are a few resources at the bottom of this page that I used and/or posted to my iTunesU course along the way.

Overall, I think it went well. I had some kids who missed the bigger picture of really answering the question: To what extent are the principles of our founding fathers intact in our current political discussions? BUT, even those kids who fell a little short of a full and insightful answer drew connections between the past and the present, they practiced their analysis skills, they practiced their research skills, AND they got to create some pretty cool infographics.

In hindsight, I need to do a little better job of helping with the conclusion part--the final conclusions of why we have changed. Here's a few examples:

Labor Practices:
Labor Practice | Piktochart Infographic Editor

Marriage Equality:
Almost Equal | Piktochart Infographic Editor

Abortion:
Abortion | Piktochart Infographic Editor

Infographics as Assessment

So, every year I hear about new tools and resources to use for alternative assessment methods and options for learners to demonstrate mastery. One of those things I kept hearing about and wanted to try out was Infographics. My kids have used Glogster and Smore many times to put together online posters to demonstrate their research or to aid in presentations we ask our kids to give. Over the years we have used many different websites and apps to replace the traditional poster which works wonderfully for giving learners a more authentic audience. They can publish their posters on the web, share them via email or social media, and reach out to a specific audience. However, these online posters have their limits. The creative aspects can be limited when trying to relay lots of information and demonstrating the connections between that info. So, I was excited when I saw Infographic creators for the first time a few years ago during an EdTech conference. I started small by making this an option in place of Glogster or Smore, but finally bit the bullet this year and created an analysis assignment which required more than a poster could establish. I suggested Piktochart and Visual.ly as the infographic creators. I had a few who chose Canva because it allows for a ground up build instead of relying on a template.

So, now the good stuff! Our question posed to the kiddos: To what extent are the principles of our founding fathers still intact in our current political discussions? The basic gist of the assignment asked the kids to research the principles of our founding fathers through primary sources (i.e. The Bill of Rights, The Constitution, etc.). They then took a look at one issue of their choice that is currently being debated (i.e. Gun Control, The War of Terror, Immigration, etc.). The first stop was a primary source document that set the precedent this issue (i.e. The Brady Bill, The Alien and Sedition Acts, etc.). Next, they looked at at least three different viewpoints from politicians, the judicial branch, or the legislative branch within the last five years on their topic. The kids chose things like speeches, laws, bills, court rulings, and even debate transcripts. Finally, the kiddos created an Infographic to depict the similarities and differences between the viewpoints represented in their research. They were asked to draw a conclusion about how and why these principles have or have not been kept in tack. For more info on the instructions, process, and rubric we used for the assignment, check out our iTunesU course on an Apple mobile device.

I'll update in a bit with some examples and reflections on the assignment.

Voice, Choice, and Alternative Assessments

To all of my English teacher friends, please pardon me while I preach to the choir!

There are days when grading essays doesn't seem so bad. I enjoy what my kids are writing. I am impressed by their insightfulness. I love to see how their minds work. I am blown away by how far they have come in such a short amount of time. BUT, let's be real...those moments are few and far between.

It is more likely that I am circling the same "problem" in their essay for the fifth time and debating if it is even necessary to leave the exact same comment yet again. I am rolling my eyes because no matter how many times I have begged my AP JUNIORS not to say things "in my opinion" or "I think" in their rhetorical analysis essay, I have read it exactly ten times in the last hour and only once was it actually beneficial to the essay.

So, each year I try to find a balance between writing (which, let's face it...is the point of my course) and alternative assessment methods that can give my learners a chance to practice the same skills but in a different way...an alternative assessment of skills. The best part of this approach is that I can give my learners a chance to find a topic that is of interest to them or a method for showcasing their skills that goes beyond the "traditional" and into their individual strengths.

At the start of the year I spend so much time and energy helping the learners grasp the rhetorical situation and how rhetorical choices are dictated by this situation. Some of the first pieces we read together as a class are the Declaration of Independence, an excerpt from Common Sense, and Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Convention. These pieces are great because the learners have the necessary context to really delve into the rhetorical situation, plus, the purpose and rhetorical choices are fairly simple to identify. Once we have studied the pieces together, we ask the kids to locate additional sources with similar messages and then to choose the zeitgeist of the time. For more about zeitgeist and to see some examples made by Google, click here.

Here's where the voice and choice come in: We simply ask the learners to create a product which represents the zeitgeist of the founding of our country. They choose the word they want to represent. They choose the research and documents they use to support their ideas. They choose the method of their presentation.

We do ask the kids to write a one page essay that explains their thought process for choosing their zeitgeist and of creating their product. But beyond that, no writing is necessary. We simply look at their chosen documents from the time and their product and ask ourself if they understood the rhetorical situation of the time. Bada bing bada boom, we got some pretty cool stuff.  Check out some student work below:

Ashley and Maddie
Zeitgeist: Sovereignty
Video Product: YouTube

Jarrad
Zeitgeist: Rebirth
Digital Image:

Iliana and Dayana
Zeitgeist: Debt
Hand Drawn Image:

Kaylee and Deborah

Zeitgeist: Metamorphosis

Product:

Blackboard Peer Evaluation Followup

So, I wouldn't say that it revolutionized peer evaluation for me. BUT, it did streamline the process, take some of the work off of my plate, AND it performed about the same or maybe even slightly better than my "traditional" peer evals.

The best part was that the kids put their essay into Blackboard. Then, Blackboard did the rest of the work. It sorted and gave everyone two essays to read. Then, when they were done it gave the feedback to the appropriate learner. I did not have to touch one essay for the kids to get feedback AND for me to have record of the feedback they were given.

The usual events transpired after the evaluation process. A kid who completely disagrees with everything the feedback says. A kid who got practically NO feedback because their reader didn't put much effort into it, etc. These things aren't new, and I handled them pretty much the exact same way--get a third opinion and/or teacher opinion.

The fact that this was so streamlined and EASY means that I can do more peer evaluation and more self evaluation without adding more to my plate. The kids get their feedback almost immediately and I just have to open the assignment to see exactly what was said and by whom. So, I think all in all it was a success. Definitely a tool I will be relying on in the future.

Blackboard Self and Peer Evaluation Feature

Last year our school became a one-to-one iPad district. A year before that, I was given the opportunity to try out Blackboard as my classroom website. I had a class set of netbooks and was able to utilize Blackboard on a trial basis. To be completely honest, I was less than thrilled with what Blackboard had to offer. I had used Blackboard before, and there were some really great features, but at the same time, there were some serious limits: the inability to make it pretty (which bothers me more than anything else), the fact that it takes 15 clicks to post one item, and the sometimes cumbersome navigation. So, trying out Blackboard for the second time, I assumed I would encounter the same problems. For the most part, I did.

On the other hand, Blackboard had come quite a ways in terms of the features and navigation options. It may be the Blackboard had evolved, it may be that our district was paying more for those features, or it may be that I have a better idea of what I am doing now than I did back then. Either way, I discovered some features that I like more than I had expected I would. One of those features is the self and peer evaluation feature.

In the old days (hahaha...there are a few ladies in my department who will shoot me when they read that!), we would have students bring a draft in to class. They would switch papers, and there would be absolutely nothing anonymous about the peer feedback process. The students would be embarrassed someone else is reading their work, then they would be embarrassed to share their comments. More often than not the default would be generic, vague, and unhelpful feedback.  Over the years of teaching AP English Language I had created a system that mostly works. The kids only use their ID#, no names. The kids would fill out rubrics I had created to help them get to more specific feedback. I would have them work with essays from a different class period, etc. All of this was better, but it was a TON of work and preplanning on my part.

Blackboard has helped to streamline this process.  This blog is going to focus on the steps for setting up a peer evaluation. I will post after completing the process with my kids about the results of using it in class:

1. Create a new assignment (Be sure to click the Self and Peer Evaluation assignment type)
2. Set the options and due date for the submission process
3. Write the question(s) the kids are responding to
4. Provide a model response in the provided box for the kids to use DURING THE EVALUATION PROCESS (kids can not see this when submitting their work)
5. Set the options and due date for the evaluation process
6. Click on the little arrow next to the question and choose criteria to set up the rubric for scoring (if desired)...each criteria has to be created individually

NOTES:

• I create the two parts of the assignment on different due dates to try and make it less       confusing. 
• I usually set up the evaluation to be done in class.
• I usually require the kids to evaluate two submissions.
• Try to make the criteria as specific and small as you can

Here is what it looks like:

The first time the kids go to the assignment they see this: 

As soon as they click on View/Complete Assessment the submission window will open. My advice is to have the students copy and paste their essay/answers into the boxes.

When the submission time frame closes, the students can log back into Blackboard and will see the same screen. This time when they click on View/Complete Assessment they will see a screen that looks something like this:

They will then click on the Names to see the submissions of the other students and their own if you have set up the self-evaluation option. For each submission to review they will see a screen with the submitted essay and the rubric. They are also given a blank box to leave additional comments beyond the rubric. In fact, you can set up an evaluation without a rubric if you'd like. It will look something like this (only there will be an actual submission in the currently empty box):

The criteria you set for the rubric can be clicked on one at a time, evaluated and commented on.

When the evaluation window has ended, the kids return to Blackboard, click on View/Complete Assessment again, and this time they will see Usernames just like before (User 1, etc if anonymous). When they click on each user, they can see the score and feedback they were left.

Alright, I am trying it out again. I've done it once with a small paragraph, but needed to work out some kinks. Here's hopin' it goes well!

Start of the School Year Blues

Every single year I tell myself I have to find a way to slow down at the beginning of the year. Everything happens so fast. From the district to do lists, to the campus expectations, a few trillion State required trainings (Bloodborne Pathogens, anyone?), and then all of the things I planned to do during the summer, but that just didn't get done, and my life becomes a beautiful disaster.

The mom in me is trying desperately to get my own 15 year old to do her summer reading, get the 5 year old in a place where maybe, just maybe, she can actually go to Kindergarten without having a meltdown every single day, and prepare myself for leaving the nine month old behind every day. I shovel out money left and right: yearbooks, club dues, school pictures, school supplies, school clothes, planners, and first day of school gifts. Thinking back on it makes me tired all over again.

The teacher in me is frantically trying to get my classroom put back together, figure out how exactly I will squeeze 35 adult size children into a classroom designed for only 20 (I dare someone to say my classroom was built for more than 20 kids with a straight face), create a calendar and syllabus...but, oh wait, we are changing something about campus policy that needs to be revised on your syllabus...finish out all those required trainings and forms and small items on the to-do list. Some of what I thought I would accomplish over the summer, I did. But, to be completely honest, there are still a thousand things I wanted to do, but did not.

Oh well, maybe after the first six weeks. OR, MAYBE next summer!

The one thing I know for sure is that the kids will come. I will smile despite the beautiful disaster that is my life, and I will do my very best. The to do list can wait. The important things are walking through the door...

Papers, Papers, Papers by Carol Jago

Every teacher who requires writing in their classroom has had the painful experience of realizing just how long the grading will take.  To make matters worse, there is always that kid who comes to class the day after the assignment was due and asks "Do you have our essays graded?" or "Are we getting our essays back today?".  Every year I tell myself to plan better, to make better rubrics, to rely more on peer evaluations, or, the absolute worse solution, to require less writing.

In February I gave birth to my third child.  When May came I returned to work with one thing on my mind: survive the remaining 6 weeks of school.  The first assignment came in, and I frantically tried to locate my motivation and get the grading done at school...yea right!  So, as I slowly came to the realization that life at home would never be as productive as it once was, my goal for the summer became clear: figure out how to work smarter, not harder, and without sacrificing the quality of feedback.  I collected a slew of reading materials for the summer months to help me achieve this goal.

Book 1: Papers, Papers, Papers by Carol Jago

This seemed like the best place to start.  I love Jago because she is so practical and realistic.  I love that her advice is coming from her own vetted practices.  And so, here are some of my take aways:

1.  Find a way to make the feedback more important than the grade.
This is something I have been trying to figure out for years.  No matter how I do it, I always feel like the kids are still just waiting to see the grade and toss out the feedback part.  So, I really enjoyed Jago's ideas on making the feedback more personal and interactive. 

2.  Figure out a system for peer and self-evaluation that actually works for you.
Obviously, the easiest way to lessen the workload is to have someone else do the work.  Every year I try something different with peer and self-evaluations.  I look forward to trying out some of Jago's ideas on how to guide learners into providing better evaluations.  Maybe I will finally find a way to use peer-evals that are helpful in improving writing.

3. Misery loves company.
Once upon a time, as a first year teacher, my mentor teacher and team lead would hold grading sessions where we would get together and grade essays, projects, and tests to try and calibrate our grading, and, to be completely honest, to make sure I wasn't screwing everything up.  I don't know why I didn't take the idea forward?!? The idea of grading parties is genius and is something I will definitely be looking into with my team.

There were so many practical ideas and advice in this book that it looked something like this when I was finished.

As I tweak the ideas I read in Jago's book, I will blog a bit more about my own successes and failures in implementing them. Hopefully, I can find something to help with the dread of grading!