I have developed a curriculum that is four to six weeks in length to start. This curriculum can always be lengthened, as the students grow accustomed to the activities. The lessons are geared toward developing the students’ ability to put their thoughts into words and to keep the students physically active.
Journal Entries: The journals are the centerpiece of the curriculum. Students will be given time at the end of class to write in their journals.
Purpose:
To have the students put their thoughts about the activity/ game into words. The journals will a practice tool for processing ideas/information and then putting those ideas into complete sentences. The teacher may want to have a journal of their own to put their own thoughts or ideas on how each lesson can be changed or improved. Students may also respond in positive way, when they see the teacher sharing with the class something that is special to them.
Materials needed: 1 pencil and 1 writing tablet per student.
Description of Activity:
At the end of every class each student will be required to write in their journal about some aspect of physical activity or sport. Students may write about the activity the class just played or they may write about a game they saw on television. I want to have the students to become creative in their writing style. For example, a student might have watched the Yankees on television and a player hit a home run. I want the students to be able to describe that event in vivid detail. Instead of saying Giambi hit a home run, students will present it like Giambi hit a towering blast into the third deck of Yankee stadium, you could almost hear the ball scream as the bat connected with the ball. The more practice the students have writing, hopefully the more proficient they will become.
Assessment/Evaluation:
I intend to evaluate the student’s work by having it read by their peers and by me. This will give the writer two points of view on their work. The evaluation process is going to be a tough one because students progress at different speeds when learning new skills. I have other ideas on how to evaluate the students. I plan to give them a checklist to see if they can identify key elements of a story, such as setting, main character, and theme.
