This is my fourth semester during which my EN101 students and I embarked upon a great journey together.
On the first day of class they were asked to think about their "Top 3" Favorite Songs of All Time. I can't even begin to explain the immediate emotional distress many students experienced over this!
As they settled in for the "long and winding road" of essays, I nudged them further towards making a commitment, a marriage of sorts, if you will.
A few classes in, here is what they received:
Stranded 2010
Your EN101 class, as you well know, is based on the amazing subject of music!
This semester we will be writing 4 formal essays that all build on our personal relationships with the music we love. This is a chance for you to share your passion, educate your classmates, and learn how to write a decent English paper all at once!
As each assignment approaches, you will receive detailed information on what to write. Right now you have only one job – to come up with an answer to the following situation:
Deciding to take a break from your day-to-day grind, you book
an airline ticket and head off to the Caribbean for some much-needed R&R.
During your stay you hear whispers about an opportunity to visit a small, secluded island miles from the mainland. You think “why not” and start packing your overnight bag.
Once on the boat that will take you to your final destination, you are told that you won’t be returning! You will live out your life on the desert island with only the clothes on your back and the items in your tote. “Things could be worse,” you decide. The prospect of no boss, no obligations, no rules for the rest of your life is somewhat appealing. You figure the biggest problem facing you is the loneliness you will most assuredly experience living by yourself.
Just as you are starting to feel extremely down on your luck, you reach into your bag with a surge of excitement and pull out a disc. This disc just happens to contain one single song. “Thank the stars above that I have “_______________________________________” by ________________________________________________________ with me! Now I can live my life “STRANDED” on the island in peace.
Your job is to fill in the blanks with the song and artist you would choose to be stranded with for the rest of your life.
My only advice to you is this – choose wisely. You will need plenty of data in your store of information about this song. The data will be both personal and public. Be sure to choose a song that will allow you to produce many pages in your writing!
This again prompted one of the most rewarding, most engaging, and most educational experiences I've yet to have as a teacher. While they definitely grumbled and complained (and probably said bad things about me on Facebook), they absolutely got into the spirit of the assignment.
As always, my expectations were high, but these writers far surpassed what I thought possible from a beginning English class. It's always a wonderful pleasure to find that the hours you've spent scheming and planning have paid off, at least for one student.
As one of their final assignments, I've asked my students to go global! No, no they are not going to post their final essays on this blog (that would encourage plagiarism after all) but they are going to share information with you about their journey so that you can experience just a little of what we did on our Desert Islands this semester.
Without further ado, please allow me to introduce:
My "Spring 2010 All Stars! They met me in class every Tuesday and Thursday from 530-645pm.
Each of these main posts will link to the information my students are going to share with you.
If you have any questions for us, you can reach me at desiree.difabio(at)montgomerycollege.edu
Enjoy!
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