What story about yourself do you want to tell, and what is the best way to tell it?
The final unit of Grade 12 English Language Arts: Transactional Focus included a study of narrative texts and memoirs. The teacher provided approximately 15 different texts, including film, poetry, documentary, art, graphic representations, articles, and opinion pieces. Learners viewed, listened to, and read the assigned texts individually and took note of what they found to be effective elements of each text type. After each individual text study, the class met as a whole group, shared their thinking, and developed agreed-upon criteria for what made a strong, effective text.
After studying all of the text types, the learners’ final project was to develop their own memoir or narrative using features from the forms that had been studied and agreed upon as a class. They were also free to use a blend of forms or to develop their own ideas. Together with their teacher, they developed a rubric for their pieces. They were all unique, and the rubric needed to reflect this individuality as well as the commonalities.
The learners had two weeks to compose their memoir/narrative piece and, while much of their time was spent drafting and creating, there was also an expectation for learners to gather feedback from their peers along the way. The teacher modelled what peer conferencing might look like, and the class decided on protocols for this process. Text creators were encouraged to simply listen and were not to defend or apologize for their work. The teacher also provided possible sentence starters for feedback, such as the following:
Learners also used their rubrics as a reference point to check the progress of their own creative work, as well as that of their peers. During these classes, the teacher circulated and added to discussions and ideas if necessary. Many learners changed course and made numerous changes to their memoirs/narrative pieces based on thoughtful feedback from their peers or through their own design process.
The results were varied and personal. The designs were innovative and specific to each learner. Learners who chose visual representations also included a written portion that identified how the criteria from the rubric were demonstrated in their pieces.
This project was adaptable for learners who had difficulty using their own voice or taking risks. There were templates and graphic organizers available for those who needed a more “traditional” writing task. Learners who needed the extra support used it, and those who did not were left to design and draft in their own way. The only non-negotiable piece of criteria was that it could not all be done at home.
About Me—Choose Your Form Rubric
Grade 12 Transactional English ENG4T
For this assignment, you can choose your own form. We outlined several possibilities (memoirs, videos, songs, poems, and box zithers) together and you may think of others as we progress through the composition period. The following characteristics are common to all the texts we discussed: personal connection, different shots (close up/far away), music/mood, tone, theme, symbolism, imagery, repetition, variety of features, clear audience, different perspectives, appropriate language, setting/context, character development, advocacy.
Even if the language does not directly apply to the form you choose, think of the ways that the features above are represented differently in writing versus speaking, versus art, versus video.
Your job when composing and creating is to include at least 10 of the above features. The following are non-negotiable: personal connection, variety of features, clear audience, appropriate language/different shots, setting/context.
The other five can be your choice.
If you choose a fully written piece, the word count must be 1500 words.
If you choose a representation of some other form, you must include a 750-word explanation of how the piece captures the 10 elements you are choosing to represent
There will also be an aspect of drafting, and giving and receiving feedback. Expect to meet with different peers, present your work so far, and receive feedback every few days (dates below). You will need to respond to questions at the end of the process to discuss the feedback and explain how it had an impact on your work.
| Practice | Choose Your Form | Success Criteria | Score (1 to 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
Sense Making/ |
Your form is clearly evident to your audience. You have shared and developed your piece throughout the given class time and can discuss and represent the particular features you have chosen. |
The features unique to your chosen form are recognizable to your audience and/or a written description is included. You have shown your understanding of the form throughout the process of drafting and finalizing. |
|
System |
Each particular element of your piece is represented and contributes to a unified whole. |
There are no distracting or irrelevant aspects to the piece. You have made intentional decisions as a text creator, and they are evident to your audience. |
|
Sense Making/ |
You have connected the assigned features to your specific form and adapted them appropriately and/or artistically. |
The five mandatory features are present and there are five more that are woven into your chosen form. The features you have chosen effectively present your topic/theme/time period. |
|
Sense Making |
Your vocabulary, sentence variety, images, colour, etc., are used effectively to engage an audience and sustain interest throughout. |
You have paid attention to how your chosen features impact your audience on a sensory and/or emotional level. |
|
System |
Your design, artistic, and/or writing choices have minimal distracting errors or irrelevant information. |
Your piece (including the accompanying description) is neat, well formatted, and shows attention to detail. |
