I would like to share another unit I did this week that was a BIG hit with my students.
An MTV Ghosted synthesis paper!
Imagine this: I sent them home to watch any two episodes of this classic piece of cable television. For those without streaming services, there are plenty of snippets on YouTube.
And then I gathered five articles for them to read (they could locate their own if mine did not help them support the thesis).
Here’s the prompt for the paper and Socratic Seminar: With the advent of online dating, the phenomenon of ghosting has become quite prevalent. In this essay of four paragraphs in length, take a stance with regards to the ethics of ghosting in today’s dating culture.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, my students had a whole bunch of reasons as to why ghosting is a legit way to end a relationship. The discussion was intense and very alive.
From here, I hosted a writing workshop whereby I “Bob Ross-ed” my instruction. For those of you that don’t know, when I teach writing, I provide a ton of models and exemplars that I write. I show my students the good, the bad, the ugly.
The writing workshop is posted in my YouTube channel.
Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49kGhpD4RSw
If you want to try this assignment out with your kids and would like the supplementary material – chiefly, the PowerPoint to host the writing workshop and the reading articles – then email me at [email protected].
I’m having a ton of success when I anchor my units in the pop-culture our students digest all day long. In a year where a lot of students are checked out, my kids are actually doing the work when I keep it in the wheelhouse of their interests.
I hope you like this one and can use it with your students.
Let me know how it goes. If you have questions, drop me a line.
And lastly, I want to address a few questions I received with regards to the textbook I am writing with Timm Freitas and the Teach It “Write” 5-Week Mastermind.
Here goes …
1. The session will begin on January 9th. We will meet in Zoom for five consecutive weeks starting at 7 p.m. EST. Each class is one hour long followed by Q&A.
2. Yup … you have unfettered access to the Mastermind Library … which is a treasure trove of resources that will significantly reduce your prep time and lesson planning headaches
3. And yes … you’ll learn all of my 40 Alternatives to Traditional Grading Methods so that you can fly through the endless heap of essays begging to be graded
4. Absolutely … you can potentially create a semester’s worth of units and lesson plans within the five-week span. The Mastermind assembles a great network of phenomenal teachers that are all willing to collaborate and share their material.
5. And another yup … I definitely will help you build your writing workshops long after the completion of our session. In helping you, I actually help myself as well in that I am creating new content for the Mastermind Library and/or my own classroom instruction
If you are interested in learning more about the Mastermind, do not hesitate to reach out. Perhaps we can hop on a quick Zoom so that you can look at all of the moving parts. Further, if you’d like, check out my webpage for more details.
https://teachinghow2write.com/teach-it-write-mastermind/
Happy teaching and happy writing!
PS – If you can think of any cool pop-cultural trends that are worthy of a lesson plan or unit, send your ideas my way. I’m working on Teen Mom and MTV Parental Control currently.
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