Professional Documents
Culture Documents
model text. For instance, I may ask students for example). Once you feel comfortable with
to identify the main characters and secondary the basic tools of Facebook, the connections
characters in the story. We might discuss to narrative writing will become obvious, and
the physical settings in the story and try to you will be prepared to put this social-media
imagine the time frame in which the story platform to use in your classroom.
takes place. Students summarize the plot in
five or six sentences, identify the point of Although you will be using Facebook to
view of the narrator, and discuss lessons they analyze and scaffold narrative writing, you
may have learned from the story. In essence, I do not need to have access to the Internet
teach students how to analyze narrative fiction in the classroom to make this work. It takes
for each of these elements before asking them a little extra planning to take screenshots,
to produce fiction of their own. but the visuals included with this article are
samples of the images you could display with
CONNECTING IT TO FACEBOOK a projector as a reference for students as they
work through the activity.
The world of Facebook is one in which most
students typically have experience outside the First, display a picture of a sample Facebook
classroom. Connecting an academic lesson “status update.” This feature lets users
about the elements of narrative fiction with create a brief multimedia post about what is
this social-media platform is likely to decrease happening in their lives, including feelings,
your students’ anxiety level and give them an whereabouts, and actions. A simple photo
opportunity to display their proficiency with like the one shown in Figure 1 will model
technology. Teachers who are less experienced the features you would like students to use.
with using Facebook might take this opportunity Have each student use a blank sheet of paper
to learn from their students or collaborate with to quickly design a personal status update.
colleagues to become familiar with its basic Encourage students to make use of all the
functions. Free online tutorials and guides are available Facebook “tools.” The “Photo/Video”
available (from GCFLearnFree.org and Lifewire, tool allows users to upload media files to
Cinderella went to school or how she might create humorous profiles for their characters.
describe her job on Facebook, but we do By sharing aloud, they practice their English
have enough information about her character presentation skills in a low-anxiety, authentic
to “think like Cinderella” and infer what she situation.
might write. Students can use their knowledge
of their assigned character to imagine the Then have students reflect on the activity.
information that character would provide Was it easy or difficult to fill out a profile for
in his or her own Facebook profile. Allow a their character? Was there information that
reasonable amount of time for this task, based they had to invent? Were they able to make
on the level of challenge it will present for predictions about what their character would
your students. have written? Are they able to identify main
characters and secondary characters based
At the end of the allotted time, ask a few on the information that was provided by the
pairs to share with the class the profile author? Ask students to think about whether
posters they created. In a large class, their character was developed through specific
students could form groups where each descriptions by the author or whether they
character is represented and share within learned more about their character indirectly
that group to allow every pair an opportunity through the character’s actions. Which
to present its work. This interactive activity type of characterization do they find more
is entertaining, as students work together to interesting?
Overview
WORK
Self-employed
Contact and basic info
Manager of Messes • 25 March 2018 to present
In charge of all things dirty and disgusting
Family and relationships
Life events
Add a professional skill
UNIVERSITY
Add a university
HIGH SCHOOL
middle
climax
fal
n
tio
lin
ac
ga
ing
cti
ris
on
beginning end
exposition resolution
important events and the commentary from with a chance to embrace a context that is
their character’s point of view. Once again, in meaningful to twenty-first-century learners
large classes, divide the class into groups for and to capitalize on their enthusiasm in order
these presentations. Students will be actively to create authentic and entertaining language-
engaged in listening, speaking, and writing learning opportunities.
while collaborating with their classmates on
an authentic task in a low-stress situation.
Jennifer Borch served as an English Language Fellow
Ask students to reflect on the process they in Marrakech, Morocco, from 2016 to 2018, teaching
have just completed. Through status updates, at Cadi Ayyad University. She is passionate about
students have identified the essential elements creating authentic language-learning opportunities
that drive a story’s plot forward and created a and educational equity through the integration of
summary of the story. Did students generally technology in the classroom.
agree on the most important events in the
story? This activity also draws students’
attention to the way in which the narrator’s Screenshots by Jennifer Borch
voice affects the telling of a story. They were
asked to tell the same story from different
points of view. How did that affect the plot
diagram they created? How would writing
a summary of the text differ from the status
updates provided by one character?