Saturday, August 16, 2014

Using Ted Talks to Enhance Narrative Writing


R. Milian

One of the most difficult things for students to assimilate is Voice. I have lost count on the number of essays that are just too numbing to read. They lack voice and as a result what appears on paper is nothing more than empty platitudes that, honestly, I can't bear to read. Ted is one of my favorites places to watch educational videos, and I came across one by the African writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that discusses the dangers that writers tend to make when they view the world from a single perspective. It is a thought-provoking video that also discusses how she found her voice in writing and how she expanded her literary world. For this writing activity, I will use her Ted Presentation as a way to teach students what it means to use Voice when we write. 


Objective: Students will enhance their narrative writing skills by learning how to develop voice by watching a Ted video


CCSS  WRITING STANDARDS:  Applies to grades 9-10 and 11-12


W.9-10.3
W.11-12.3


CCSS  SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS: Applies to grades 9-10 and 11-12


SL.9-10.5
SL 9-10.1
SL 11-12.1
SL11-12.5

Step One: Watch the video






Step 2  
Students will collaborate in groups using Google Docs to discuss the video
( Here you may want to ask the students how Adichie was able to find her voice)
Step 3
Using a projector, the instructor displays the answers the groups produced
Step 4
Practice by having  students develop a brief paragraph using voice
Step 5
The instructor shows  what the students came up with and discusses their results.
Step 6
Using Google Docs students edit their classmates paragraphs. 
Step 7
If students are still having difficulty with voice, I have them read and discuss  in groups the short story “ My Name” from Sandra Cisneros’s
Step 7

Have students write a narrative essay using as key component voice

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