I will have three groups of students, each group requiring a mentor for a lead student. The lead students have participated in the mentoring program in the past.
Description:
Students have the opportunity to develop writing and filming skills in a real-world context. Participants will collaborate with students and impart history to younger generations. I will use CreateSpace for compiling the biography. Students will be assigned a virtual mentor to work with (1 per group) from the International Telementor Program. These professionals will help students edit the book and assist in research. Each group will write their mentor weekly.
Benchmarks:
TBD
Duration:
9
Grade Level:
7
Content Area:
Gifted and Talented
Student Outcomes:
Students will bring film literacy and critical thinking discussions about moving images into language arts, history, humanities, and social studies classrooms (Laurie Chin Sayres; “Film Shaping Minds”) by preparing for, interviewing, and processing live-interviews with local community members connected to the area’s history.
Evaluation of
Student Outcomes:
Students will reflect on this experience at the end with a short introspective reflection after each segment of the process (e.g. “what went smoothly; what presented challenges; suggestions for improvement”) as well as compile a manual or guide for future students enrolled in the course.
Teacher Role:
Gifted and Talented teacher: communicate with mentors regarding content specific questions or concerns, instruct students in the process, aid in identifying research areas and sources of information, assist in shaping the project and evaluate the project overall. Paraprofessional: assist students in composing e- mails and check the progress of each student to ensure that things are done in a timely manner.
Mentor Role:
The mentors will support students in the creation of a biography being written for individuals in our community with rich local history. The biographies themselves will be part of two-prong project which involves a live interview about their life. Students will produce and edit a documentary about them to be aired on our local channel. The students are working in a real studio with quality light, sound, and cameras. However, the mentors will not be assisting so much with this editing/film producing component, but rather supporting students to write, organize and edit the biography (which will be published through "CreateSpace"). The books will be added to our local library branches and historical archives connection as well. The books and documentaries will also be used in 4th grade curriculum as part of their local history unit. So, as you can see, this is a meaningful opportunity for students an mentors to collaborate! This will be a rich endeavor and I know that the students look forward to working closely with you.
