Teacher Commentary The Story in History Germantown High School, Philadelphia SLC: Communities in Schools Teachers: Kathryn Bagley, Eloise Goldenberg, Cynthia Hampton School Phone: 215-951-4061

Unit of Study Summary In January and February of 1999, four classes of ninth grade students, including special education students, learned the art of storytelling to continue the tradition by which history is handed down from generation to generation. Students wrote original stories and plays based on their own lives and the lives of their family and community members, some of which were published in an anthology. During March and April of 1999, two classes of eleventh grade students learned to write poetry under the tutelage of an Artist-in-Residence. This was an interdisciplinary project between English and Social Studies classes, and is part of the larger oral history project that linked the Great Migration North and the development of the blues with American literature. Both groups were engaged in a series of workshops to learn the art of writing, revising, editing, and rewriting. One exercise to help the eleventh grade get started was to create in clay a visualization of something important to their own lives. A rubric was created to assess student work. The culminating events were a storytelling session and a poetry reading to which they invited parents, members of the community, the children in the Comprehensive Day Care at Germantown High School, and students in other SLCs. Photos and video were used to document the process. Teachers met on an ongoing basis to discuss assessment techniques, strategies to improve teaching and learning, and to make sure that the project linked curriculum with the Philadelphia standards. What should students know and be able to do? School District of Philadelphia Standards: Writing Standard #3-Write in a variety of forms including journals, essays, stories, letters, plays, poems and reports using figurative, descriptive, literary, and technical language. What were students asked to do? In connection with the theme of the workshop "Building Better Communities," and the vision of the Communities in Schools Health Horizons SLC, students were asked to determine what qualities made a healthy/unhealthy neighborhood. These characteristics were listed in the appropriate categories. From the list, students selected a topic that appealed to them. Students wrote a preliminary draft on a quality, healthy or unhealthy, that defined a community. Students were asked to share their expressions and ideas with the class. On the following day, students were asked to rewrite their original work. What story does the work tell? In their American History classes, students have examined primary source materials and eyewitness accounts of various events. They have learned how these documents serve to validate the significance of history in people's lives. In writing about their own community experiences, students are documenting their own history. In the selected work, the student is writing about his life and his community as he sees it in 1999. The student has followed the writing process-think, write, and rewrite. The student submitted a first draft, then a revised draft. In his revision, he has included the use of some literary/poetic devices-rhyme, rhythm, and repetition. Also, the selected work was the only one that attempted to address all the qualities presented in the original list on the community. The rubric was used to score student participation and product. In his presentation, the Teaching Artist focused on the process of creating. Because the class was dealing with poetry, and not a composition theme, more freedom of expression was allowed. There was no set form to follow. If students followed the process, they met the guidelines given. This student received the following grades based on the rubric: Attendance: 4 Behavior: 4 Homework/classwork: 4 Daily work: 4 Revision/editing: 3 How can your analysis guide further instruction? The student's work went beyond the basic assignment. He incorporated both positive and negative aspects into his poem/rap, and he showed some creativity. His teacher has some curiosity about the title. Is there more he would have added? Is there a conclusion? Why is the title "The Key?" Therefore, this lesson could continue to elicit more revisions. The next logical step in this project is to look more closely at one unhealthy aspect of the community, examine how this situation could be improved, and have the students participate in a service learning project which would impact positively on the health of the community.

view rubric close window to return to listing