Joking aside, I really enjoyed Strong Chapter 6. A lot of complaining you'll here about history classes is the amount of dull work you have to slog through for a grade--I've done my fair share of complaining about history classes too, and now I'm the teacher! I don't want my students to look at an essay prompt the same way I've sometimes looked at essay prompts. Students should know that schoolwork is not inherently the enemy here. Busywork is. And the best way to avoid busywork is by crafting authentic assessments--assessments that allow your students to stretch their critical thinking skills and show them that, yes, you can use this outside of school.
After looking over Strong's examples and reading Cassie's blog (go check out the CRAFTs she made! So cool!), I decided to try for one of my own. Since I blogged so enthusiastically about the Roman Empire in my last entry, let's just keep rolling with the theme:
Dynamic Dynastic Rule
Context: Gaius Caesar (otherwise known as Caligula) and his sole heir have just been assassinated by the Praetorian Guard. Rome is leaderless, the Praetorians are calling Claudius Emperor, and no one is quite sure whether or not Caligula is actually dead. To keep Rome from anarchy, it's up to you, a humble Senator, to decide whether or not to elect Claudius as Emperor. You can either argue for Claudius or against him, using classroom discussions and textbook reading as evidence for your appeal. Are the Julio-Claudians really the best suited to rule Rome?
Role: You are a Roman senator on the floor of the Senate, about to speak to your colleagues concerning the assassination of Gaius Caesar and the ascension of his uncle Claudius to the throne.
Audience: The Roman Senate
Format: Oral speech
Topic: The unusual means of ascension in the Roman Empire, and whether or not the Julio-Claudian line of emperors can be considered a proper 'dynasty', since not one of the five emperors was a direct descendant of his predecessor. Prepare an oral speech outlining the pros and cons of having a dynastic family rule, and whether or not you would support Claudius on the throne.
This assignment is meant to have students think critically about different systems of government (monarchical, dynastic, democratic, despotic, etc), and how hard it is to change a government system once it becomes deeply entrenched. It also asks them to pick a side and argue it effectively and thoroughly using evidence, a skill history emphasizes usually through essays, as well as improve public speaking skills.
I'll need to construct a rubric, but what do you guys think? Does it fit the CRAFT model, or does it need work? Is it something you'd enjoy doing as a student (be honest!)?
To be honest, I'm a little disappointed that assignments like these don't show up very often in college classrooms either. Reading over the different examples of CRAFT Strong has collected, I got incredibly excited and intrigued about some of the prompts. "A potato chip's journey through the digestive system" sounds much more fun and engaging than "here is your digestive system". Plus, the best learning comes through doing, and I've always found that when I can put information to good use I better retain it.
I have to wonder, though, to what extent should we use these classroom CRAFTs? I think that they'd be excellent if used in moderation, but using assignments like these for every grade might be pushing it. Perhaps a healthy mixture of traditional essay assignments and CRAFT assignments would be best, and better expose students to the idea that there's more than one way to skin a cat (metaphorically!).
Emily, I enjoyed your post about Strong chapter 6. I like how you mentioned that school is not the enemy, busywork is. I think that speaks volumes... after all we have ALL felt this way before.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your CRAFT, I like the idea! I'm not a history person, and have probably only heard of Caligula twice, but I think with some background knowledge it would make a great assignment. You could even do these type of assignments in different formats such as a letter, a proposal etc etc. Do you think that primary literature could supplement/enhance textbook evidence? and maybe clarify to them (which you probably would) before hand what the job of a Roman Senator is. Other than that it is a really great assignment, I think I would enjoy it as a student.
Furthermore, I agree with your idea that CRAFTS are good in moderation. I don't think they should be used for every assignment either, but more as an explorative ending to a unit etc.
I also enjoyed your post, and I too loved the Star Wars reference in the reading. The CRAFT assignment that you made is one that I think would work very well. Another format that I thought of was a debate. This format would make the learning social and it would make sure that they learned the facts well enough so that they can just pull them quickly to make a point.
ReplyDeleteHey Emily,
ReplyDeleteI read your CRAFT assignment and I think its really valuable. Having students write from the perspective of a senator should yield some great responses. Students will be able to understand a little more about what it’s like to actually be a senator, and maybe they’ll use this perspective when they vote (eventually). My only gripe is that it sounds like you have two different prompts (context and topic) that is confusing me. Maybe this is something that your students wouldn’t be confused about because they would know more than me, but that’s my only gripe about it.
I completely agree that CRAFT would be useful for college as well. In biology, sometimes we have to write papers that are not scientific paper format and this method would be great. I could imagine writing papers as early scientists to the likes of Hawking. Or even writing as a bacteria when life first evolved into complex eukaryotic life and what it was like for them.