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Invisibles Star Sequence – Updated Feb. 2018
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21 thoughts on “Invisibles Star Sequence – Updated Feb. 2018”
I find it difficult to do a Write and Discuss for personal interviews/special chair. The focus is difficult sometimes with 8th graders. What should I do? Last week I implemented some brain breaks in between. I am considering moving on to another CI activity.
Move on.
That’s right. Keep the flow going.
I personally never could get special chair/ Special person/ Star of the Week rolling. To static. Not fluid enough.
OMG I am so happy you said this Sean. Me neither. I made it sound real good in the Big CI Book, and Sabrina made it work beautifully at Thomas Jefferson HS in Denver Public Schools. I observed those classes, but I never could make it work. It was just awkward. I think the reason it “lacked fluid” as you say is that you are there in front of people all class with a fake mic in your hand trying to be entertaining. Too much pressure. Of course Sabrina – whom we stole from your Taft HS in CPS – could make it work but she is one in a million. She has total genuine interest in the kid and I pretty much faked it.
I have done it with success in my own way. My school has a tight knit school culture — it is a middle school where students get bused from all over the county. That said, I use it mainly after the first year with students and only with volunteers. Why? Students still acquire from listening no “participation necessary”
My experience is similar to Sean’s. I tried several different ways of making it work but it seemed that my kids (who live on an island) were so self-conscious that being interviewed with an audience didn’t develop feelings of safety and being cared about. Perhaps it went against their Scottish upbringing? I am not fully sure but the activity didn’t really work in my context. What did work was taking the interview questions and doing PQA with them – as if I was interviewing members of the class at random instead of just a CHOSEN ONE. The kids did open up more to that one.
Interviews never worked for me. We each have things that work for us. This site has been a clearing house for those things for over ten years now.
The CI ideas, options, and comments on this PLC are worth their weight in gold. I can’t keep up with every thread but the ones I do internalize are very valuable.
Can you guys pls explicate the CCI, ICI, SW#1 acronyms in the STAR?
Also for me in elementary – and I think this would go over very well w/older learners – I’ve tried it up to 7th grade (Hebrew) – I have a ‘listen and draw’ element – often I find a video of a cute cake for example – that was a character in one of our stories – and I go to say Arthubforkids – and we ‘process’ a video of the guy drawing it – with the volume and lights off – kids are drawing on dry-erase boards according to a tight protocol (caps on/off with my direction only; no doodling; boards up when I say, “Muéstrenme” (i.e., show me) etc. while I narrate – “Class, his head is a circle! The legs are long rectangles. Draw one looooong rectangle, leg # 2 is connected to leg #1….”
Sometimes we draw color versions on paper cuz they are so in love w/the image they wanna take it home….
Anyway, I like to add a drawing piece somewhere usu at the end of a story cycle – a teacher with drawing talent can do it live or have a student draw live under the doc cam while the T narrates. I just did that – and a new kid draw a cute minion. You can color it in on paper, too. Then if you allow choice for decorating, you can process the drawings under the doc cam, noticing differences and showcasing talent.
I’m not suggesting you add it to yer 5 pointed star, but it is a nice follow up for them to put their own imaginations about the character to work in a different way, while hearing the description.
If anyone wants a more detailed How To of my protocol, lemmee know.
CCI = Class Created Images (OWI)
ICI = Individually Created Images (these make better Invisibles stories in my opinion)
Those are the two ways we create images. They are represented by the top point on the star. Then we move around through the five other activities. SW#1 shows up at the third point in the star – the creation of the reading point – as one of the two ways we can create an image, the other being Write and Discuss. When we use SW#1 we prepare the reading outside of class as in TPRS. Using Write and Discuss is the way Tina likes to do it – in class.
Thanks for the nomenclature/acronym clarification. I’m still struggling with HOW to do OWI and Invisibles. Does it matter which you do first? Which is better for a VERY VERY quiet, low-key class of 16 students aged 14-18, from students with IEPs to Gifted and Talented? They are athletes to outcasts (I love them all!). Most difficult combination of students I’ve had in 12 years but all great kids.
We return from fall break on Monday, then have District-wide observations on Wednesday. What to do with this class that is soooooo reserved?
Alisa on the top of the star I changed CCI to CCC – class created characters, and ICI to ICC – individually created characters.
The star is badass but needs further explanation and I see no other way at this point of really making the Invisibles clear than via video, to add to the star and the Natural Approach to Stories book. It is the only way and works w the fractured thumb thing.
Alisa, that’s a great idea! And I think my 6th graders would love that. That will be another activity to add to my classes.
Hi Alisa,
I would like to learn more about the listen and draw activity you described in your post. Can you email me the more detailed version of the protocol you use? I teach high school level 2 Spanish. My email is jefunderwood@gmail.com
Thanks,
Jeff
Jeff I got something from Alisa on this. Will post it as an article right now.
I have been taking the class drawing based on the story from OTHER CLASS periods and doing a short storylistening. Works great. A class today even wanted to act out another class period’s story, so we did a video.
Greg that right there is a big time idea.
SW#1 is Student Writer #1 who writes it up in English.
Wait – I forgot! Why does someone write it up in English again?
So we can turn it into a reading during our planning period. (Unless you use Write and Discuss where you write the story up in class w the kids to save time.) I do (a) and Tina does (b).