UNIQUE CREATIONS
On this page I've placed artifacts that are more unique in nature. They are original creations from my graduate work that I infused into my classroom; each of them, when introduced, was different than what I had seen, heard of, or used before in a classroom. They are here to show creativity, originality, and risk-taking as I attempt to adapt and grow in my instruction.
Hybrid Unit
My second masters degree was taken online from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, and that experience motivated me to incorporate some of the best of distance education into my classroom for one unit. I combined a literature circle approach with the idea of an online discussion board, requiring students to have conversations inside of their literature circle online through a Google Groups discussion board. Approximately half of the class periods were used for in class instruction; for the other half, students were given time to read, post to their discussion board, or ask questions. Throughout the unit I engaged in action research, and the document below details my findings from the unit.
Artifact:
Artifact:
color_purple_hybrid_unit.doc | |
File Size: | 74 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Graphic Journalism Research
One course I took through the University of Nebraska-Kearney was "Graphic Novels," a growing genre with which I was entirely unfamiliar. For the course I completed extensive research about a recent offshoot of graphic novels, graphic journalism. The genre has taken shape over the last decade as writers attempt to fuse literary journalism with graphic novels.
Below are two artifacts stemming from this work. One of them is the research paper itself, detailing the history of the genre and its strengths and weaknesses. I've brought these ideas into the classroom, teaching students about this new way of reporting. The other is an idea for a literature unit combining Of Mice and Men with A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, a piece of graphic journalism. I created the outline for the unit as part of my graduate work, and I hope to be able to infuse it into the curriculum soon.
Artifact:
Below are two artifacts stemming from this work. One of them is the research paper itself, detailing the history of the genre and its strengths and weaknesses. I've brought these ideas into the classroom, teaching students about this new way of reporting. The other is an idea for a literature unit combining Of Mice and Men with A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge, a piece of graphic journalism. I created the outline for the unit as part of my graduate work, and I hope to be able to infuse it into the curriculum soon.
Artifact:
dykstra_graphic_novel_final_paper.doc | |
File Size: | 79 kb |
File Type: | doc |
multigenre_literature_unit.docx | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Individualized Literature Course
In a strike of good fortune, I was charged with designing the curriculum for a new course combining reading instruction with individual choice of literature during the same summer that I took "Reading Problems" from UNK. I compiled the curriculum for the new course using the ideas and research from the class that I took. The course that I created, which began as an elective, so successfully increased student reading that it has been infused into the required curriculum for all 10th grade students. The artifact below details the course and the research driving the approach.
Artifact:
Artifact:
dykstra_ind_lit_plan.doc | |
File Size: | 44 kb |
File Type: | doc |