The following is a link to access my original lesson plan. Unfortuantely I could not figure how to upload the original Microsoft Word version. For this reason, all of my images in the Activity Handout section are missing.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UdGmfLp1qf_PfC7mCOjJxLd6Uk628jv7SEg2z2t_vgk/edit?hl=en_US#
If I were to redesign my lesson plan, the central change I would make is to incorporate the use of bitstrips into my lesson's central activity. In the original activity, my instructions to students are essentially to get into groups of 4-5, choose one out of four major events that occur during the scene 4 of Godzilla (1987), and finally, report about this event from the perspective of Oshima Japan’s most celebrated news reporter. Because students were given litmited time to complete this task, the only means by which they could report their story was through an oral presentation.
Although this medium is a generally effective means for students to demonstrate their knowledge, it is not the only medium.
Other equally effective mediums include storyboarding and, as Gregory Anderson put it, "whereas drawing a storyboard by hand in the classroom has recognised pedagogical benefits," using bistrips allows you to "produce a more professional, novel, and seamless storyboard" (http://www.nate.org.uk/cmsfiles/ict/h2t/4_Storyboards.pdf)
Another bonus to making this change is that it remedies a factor I had clearly overlooked, i.e., differentiated instruction. By providing students with another option, you are awarding them with another outlet and opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Hi Waleska,
ReplyDeleteI like this lesson redesign. It's a good thing that you incorporated bitstrips into this activity. Like you said, presentations are not the only medium for assessment and it's a nice break for students to do something different in the classroom that steers away from the more traditional methods to a progressive, collaborative method of activity. Also, this benefits all types of learners; not everyone is good at giving oral presentations so bitstrips is a good outlet for students who are creative but a little more reserved than others. I have to say that the original lesson plan has some really great questions to spark some interesting classroom discussion. I was wondering though, after they have completed the bitstrips, how are you planning on grading them? Will they then present the bitstrips to the class or is it formative learning?