I got this from Dirk about working with kids who struggle with the regular rules:
Hey Ben –
I have been cranking out this new re-shuffle of the weekly plan for CI. I have had to accept the fact that at my school, which is essentially a behavior/spectrum disorder school, students are truly incapable of offering their 50% in a way that doesn’t lead to chaos or silence. So I have figured out a way to get many ideas for input from all voices – loud or nearly silent. This is also driven by the fact that I have 3 short days and one long block per week to teach.
Monday (day 1 of 4): choose three phrases / structures / words from a script or whatever else. PQA them and write tables, t-charts, etc. Kids don’t write or draw anything. Just answer.
Tuesday (day 2 of 4): Choose 5-7 variable components from an Anne or other script. Arrange question words on a post-it that (like Mad Libs) simply asks them Who? where? Why? etc. Give each kid a post it and a 6-box drawing sheet on the way in the door. Offer them one question at a time to write their answers on their post its. 2 students collect post its – during this time I do 3 minutes of TPR acting dancing etc. Put all post its on a board on a music stand to my right so as I go through the script I have instant access to the best answers. Create short passages of 1-3 sentences from the script – but using the student contributions for who and where and when and why. I write the passages with their contributions, creating a new script. I write the developing story on a paper and then check for understanding. I put on some instumental music and they have 4 minutes to draw the action or dialogue in one of the 6 boxes – I tell them which one. They can only use words that are in quotations like names (“Target”) or Spanish dialogue (“¡Basta!). We never finish the story and in the last box of the 6 box paper they take their quiz. They can use their drawings to answer the questions since the drawings only have Spanish in them…
Tuesday night after all 5 classes have done this. Sew all stories together into a 28-30 line master Frankenstory, combining the best elements from each class.
Wednesday/Thursday (day 3 of 4)
Read the newly built big story out loud in pairs/large group. Ask for meanings. I draw and write meanings. They read again. 10 question quiz at the end. Also some acting or whatever fits.
Friday (day 4 of 4) 10 minute freewrite. Then pictionary or other game using high-frequency words.
It’t tightened things up much more and kids who struggle seem to need to draw or do something other than just listen and respond with nothing on their desks…
Dirk