Update the Book Report
Book reports are a classic part of education. Some of us look back on them with great feelings of nostalgia while others of us with great feelings of disdain.
In a 21st century classroom, teachers need to be creating lessons through the filter of "How will my students be able to use what we do today in the real world tomorrow?"
I can say I've never written a book report as an adult, except within the confines of professional development...so basically, I'm still only writing book reports for school!
There is great value in book reports though. It's a powerful tool that lets us see how students related to text. How did they interpret the characters? Which themes did they identify with the most? While I have not written a book report outside of the context of school, I DO employ these higher level thinking skills as a part of my job on a daily basis.
So, what if we modernized the book report? What if we cultivated those same higher level thinking skills but channeled it through a 21st century skill: website building? And rather than making it an isolated experience, what if we opened up collaborative opportunities for students to engage their higher level thinking with higher level conversations?
I have created a Google slide deck that is designed to be a collaborative brainstorming platform, which can then be used as a foundational tool to for students to design their own book report website using Google sites.
21st century thinking, collaboration, and design using 21st century skills.
Teach in the way they are smart.
In a 21st century classroom, teachers need to be creating lessons through the filter of "How will my students be able to use what we do today in the real world tomorrow?"
I can say I've never written a book report as an adult, except within the confines of professional development...so basically, I'm still only writing book reports for school!
There is great value in book reports though. It's a powerful tool that lets us see how students related to text. How did they interpret the characters? Which themes did they identify with the most? While I have not written a book report outside of the context of school, I DO employ these higher level thinking skills as a part of my job on a daily basis.
So, what if we modernized the book report? What if we cultivated those same higher level thinking skills but channeled it through a 21st century skill: website building? And rather than making it an isolated experience, what if we opened up collaborative opportunities for students to engage their higher level thinking with higher level conversations?
I have created a Google slide deck that is designed to be a collaborative brainstorming platform, which can then be used as a foundational tool to for students to design their own book report website using Google sites.
21st century thinking, collaboration, and design using 21st century skills.
Teach in the way they are smart.
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