{"id":15344,"date":"2018-05-02T05:48:58","date_gmt":"2018-05-02T09:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=15344"},"modified":"2019-02-13T15:06:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T19:06:25","slug":"a-student-led-short-story-unit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/a-student-led-short-story-unit\/","title":{"rendered":"A student-led short story unit at Crossett Brook"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>7th and 8th graders take the initiative to share their stories with the world.<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-15660\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice.jpg\" alt=\"student-led short story unit\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice.jpg 150w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice-32x32.jpg 32w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice-50x50.jpg 50w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice-64x64.jpg 64w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice-96x96.jpg 96w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/student_voice-128x128.jpg 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/>Ms. Cicchetti\u2019s 7th and 8th grade language arts classes at Crossett Brook Middle School have been writing short stories for the last few weeks. Their writing experience has been a student-driven one and has been \u201cVery enjoyable!\u201d says Harper Haase, a 7th grader in Ms. Cicchetti\u2019s class.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone was very happy with getting to pick their own topic, do their own editing and revising, and not having teachers \u201cguide\u201d them along and take control.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1fsIeX3Uo9HNkYGmUyjFLZz1HBjYFNKfO\/view\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15630 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5823509456_IMG_3716.jpg\" alt=\"a student-led short story unit\" width=\"550\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5823509456_IMG_3716.jpg 550w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/5823509456_IMG_3716-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<h2>Here&#8217;s how they began the process.<\/h2>\n<p>The first part in their writing process was creating a plot line and character concepts. <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/presentation\/d\/1irMMeVkhVcZywaBDHnkBtHVjNHUhvtu_1E6yTFXEBkE\/edit?usp=sharing\">They used these graphic organizers to make their plot lines:<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/presentation\/d\/1irMMeVkhVcZywaBDHnkBtHVjNHUhvtu_1E6yTFXEBkE\/edit#slide=id.g36151d106c_0_8\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15625\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/plot_line_narrative.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"808\" height=\"451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/plot_line_narrative.jpg 808w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/plot_line_narrative-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/plot_line_narrative-768x429.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/plot_line_narrative-619x346.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/presentation\/d\/1irMMeVkhVcZywaBDHnkBtHVjNHUhvtu_1E6yTFXEBkE\/edit#slide=id.g36151d106c_0_8\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15626\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/graphic_planner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"813\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/graphic_planner.jpg 813w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/graphic_planner-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/graphic_planner-768x427.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/graphic_planner-619x344.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They also watched videos like this one to get inspiration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\">\n<div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_96643\"  width=\"525\" height=\"295\"  data-origwidth=\"525\" data-origheight=\"295\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CbJ1Hn55nOw?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=1&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=1&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=1&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"Diana Gabaldon shows how she crafts a sentence [Animated]\"  src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/CbJ1Hn55nOw\/maxresdefault.jpg\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Each student worked on their own ideas, trying to compile a driving story idea.<\/p>\n<h2>The next part in the writing was getting started!<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the writing process,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flocabulary.com\/subjects\/\">\u00a0the students watched Flocabulary videos on grammar, descriptive language, and more. <\/a>After a student finished a first draft, they revised and then had a peer conference with someone.<\/p>\n<p>This is what Ella Dice&#8217;s peer-led conference with Garrett Nelson was like.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wevideo.com\/view\/1114610244\" width=\"852\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>But what was it like for students?<\/h2>\n<p>Cole Hill, Harper Haase, Olivia Sprague and Addey Lilley, all 7th graders, interviewed four classmates and asked some questions about their writing process in this unit.<\/p>\n<h3><em>How did you come up with your story plot?<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Colin Deschamps answered \u201cI brainstormed a lot of ideas then chose one that connected to me.\u201d \u00a0Many students had similar answers to that.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I came up with this story plot by thinking about books I have read and kind of merging some of them together whilst making my own ideas up I guess.\u201d says Olivia Sprague.<\/p>\n<h3><em>What was the hardest part of the writing process?<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>No students answered saying \u201cWe didn\u2019t have a teacher to help us.\u201d Instead they answered with responses like, \u201cHow I would get stuck in a part and I wouldn\u2019t know how to fix it. With a little bit of thinking it would come to me, how to fix it.\u201d Hailey Melton said this. Garrett Nelson says \u201cFor me it was probably paragraph structuring. That was definitely a struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><em>What was the most enjoyable moment during your writing process?<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>Colin answered \u201cI enjoyed writing the part in my story when the characters couldn\u2019t get back to earth. It was really fun to write.\u201d Garrett Nelson said \u201cJust being able to get right into writing my story was the part I liked the most.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>The next part in these students&#8217; writing process is publishing their stories online.<\/h2>\n<p>All of the writing pieces are going to be posted on a blog, so anyone can see and read them. Ms. Cicchetti, the students&#8217; language arts teacher said that the students \u201cReally took off with the project, they totally took the initiative to make the whole thing happen.\u201d The students had a deadline of just a few weeks to get all the stories ready to be on display.<\/p>\n<h3>The first part in getting their stories online was splitting up the work.<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cSince there is a lot of work to be done, the 8th graders thought that it would be a good idea to make separate groups to work on each part of the process,\u201d says Addey Lilley. \u201cThroughout the week there are four different groups that have language arts at different times. Each traveling class has the same four groups.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> She and other students went on to explain that the four groups are editing, formatting, advertising and PR and web design.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15632 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_whiteboard.jpg\" alt=\"a student-led short story unit\" width=\"622\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_whiteboard.jpg 622w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_whiteboard-300x154.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_whiteboard-619x318.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEach group is in charge of different tasks to get the website ready. The editing is in charge of making sure all the stories have proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and things like that,\u201d says Cassidy Berry. \u201cThe formatting is in charge of adding matching titles, text fonts, choosing which genre the story&#8217;s in and other things that make the stories match with others. Advertising gets the word out about the website and makes sure that people know how to get to it. Web design is making the actual site and adding the stories in.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at the first stages for the website&#8217;s design:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wevideo.com\/view\/1116737007\" width=\"852\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the back of the classroom there are four big pieces of paper, each one marked for a different group. After every class the groups marked:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>what they got done;<\/li>\n<li>what they are going to do the following week;<\/li>\n<li>and what they need other groups to finish for them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThis helps us stay organized and keeps everyone moving forward.\u201d Says Sadie Nordle.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/wwsu.org\/anthologyofprodigy\/addey?authuser=0\">To view all of the stories written by the students of Crossett Brook, click on this link. <\/a>\u00a0Or visit our website via the image below:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/wwsu.org\/anthologyofprodigy\/addey?authuser=0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-15627\" src=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_screenshot-1024x502.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_screenshot.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_screenshot-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_screenshot-768x376.jpg 768w, https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/website_screenshot-619x303.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Written by Xavier Brookens, Harper Haase, Olivia Sprague, Addey Lilley and Cole Hill.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>7th and 8th graders take the initiative to share their stories with the world. Ms. Cicchetti\u2019s 7th and 8th grade language arts classes at Crossett Brook Middle School have been writing short stories for the last few weeks. Their writing experience has been a student-driven one and has been \u201cVery enjoyable!\u201d says Harper Haase, a &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/a-student-led-short-story-unit\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;A student-led short story unit at Crossett Brook&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[251,806,808,804,805,809],"class_list":["post-15344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crossett-brook-middle-school","tag-flocabulary","tag-language-arts","tag-peer-conferences","tag-peer-conferencing","tag-short-story-unit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15344"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15662,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15344\/revisions\/15662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}