Lesson Introduction
The following is an assignment I like to use in my English classes when watching clips from Freedom Writers and teaching with the book. I have successfully used this assignment with all manner of students in grades 9-12, and they all flourish from this type of focused reflection, while learning to be more articulate both orally and written, and while getting comfortable in front of a small live audience. Not only do students love writing about themselves, they also enjoy the integration of media, and they learn how to write better essays as they transfer knowledge learned from their work writing effective speeches.Feel free to message me Common Core connections. I know they exist, and I am quite admittedly being lazy with my alignment here. But surely speaking is still an important skill? I am only partly being tongue-in-cheek(y) here.
Step 1. Viewing.
Show all or part of Freedom Writers. Be sure to at least show the part where the students are making their Toasts for Change. This clip is embedded below for your convenience.
Step 2. Discussing.
Follow with relevant class discussion, think/pair/shares, and/or online discussion/traditional journaling.
Step 3. Applying.
Give students their assignment, embedded below. Feel free to make changes, I just ask that you make acknowledgment of my intellectual contributions. Share how you modify this assignment, if you'd like.
Toast for Change Narrative Speech Assignment.
Toast for Change Narrative Speech Rubric.
Tip: I always provide students with the assignment and the rubric up front and review these as an introduction to the project. I tell students that being given a rubric is just like having the person of your dreams handing you a checklist of things they want in a mate--you are probably going to at least read the list and you will also more than likely at the very least self assess and see how compatible you are. If you are motivated, you might even actively try to be more compatible, to score higher. It also helps to give students a checklist to help them stay on track, complete all necessary tasks, and to meet the assignment deadline. Depending on the level of your students, you may need to provide scaffolding and differentiate, and one way to do so is to have students work on the assignment in smaller parts, turning in the speech intro one day for example, and then the outline, the body, the conclusion, practicing in front of peers and getting signatures, practicing with parents and getting signatures, and practicing with the teacher.
Step 4. Teaching.
I have noticed with projects that it is a mistake to assume that your teaching is done once you have made the assignment. I know the temptation is to work on grades or other bureaucratic necessities while students work independently on projects, but I have found the trade off is not worth it. Students wasted time and turned in subpar projects. I believe in project baed learning. I know it is the best way for students to learn and to show and gain mastery, at least for me, in my English classes. So....I began....
Modeling. Think alouds. And mini-lessons.
This part is where the teaching becomes an art...I teach mini-lessons based on the needs of my students. I might need to review the writing process, for example, or teach how to write introductions, or thesis statements, or conclusions, or all of the above. I will probably need to teach how to write outlines.
Research and my experience show that modeling is a key part of effective teaching. I like to use student and teacher models. Below is the model I use for my mini-lesson on how to write outlines. This outline is for my speech, one that I wrote as I modeled how in front of my class using the method known as think aloud. Talk about pressure, but the kids love the performance and the real live thinking and human struggle that ensues.
Outline Mini-Lesson and Teacher Model
Teacher Model: Sample Toast for Change Narrative Speech
Step 5. Celebrating. Publishing. Presenting. Speeching.
Whatever you call it, this portion of the lesson is where your students show of all of their hard work. In this case, they give their speeches, make their toasts for change.
I projected the slide below, and, taking a page from English teacher, Erin Gruwell, inspiration for the movie Freedom Writers, I provided sparkling white grape juice and plastic champagne flutes as we made these toasts. (See a related lesson plan provided through the Freedom Writer's Foundation here.
Step 6. Reflecting.
I always end a project by having students peer and self assess. Then I give them the chance to give me feedback so that I can continue to improve my practice. I ask them to tell me what worked about the unit. What was easy? What was hard? Why? What was their most and least favorite parts and why? They are invited to make suggestions, and I always grow as a teacher as a result.
Please share with me how you use this lesson with your students. I will be sure to link to some student samples once we complete this speech this year. I plan to do this assignment with my freshmen, a class I have had the pleasure of working with since August, my English I/Read 180 combination class. I know this assignment is just what they need...we are entering that spring break slump, and we need to reflect on how far we have come while refocusing our energy on successfully finishing the semester.