How does your personal story connect to a body of research?
Grade 12 learners read and discussed the book Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow. The story is a very public description of the investigation of the movie producer Harvey Weinstein that uncovers his history of predatory behaviour toward women in Hollywood. It also chronicles the significant cover-up of the story over decades by various individual journalists, press organizations, and intelligence groups. Instead of discussing the specific literary elements of the book that are the focus of many English courses, the book was used as a springboard to notice big-picture elements such as bias, personal connection, reporting versus creating, and the roles of powerful men in the media.
During the beginning of the semester, small- and large-group discussion protocols were created that included turn-taking, appropriate phone use, physical proximity to the group, and sentence stems (“I agree with . . . ,” “I wonder . . . ,” “I think differently . . . ,” “Additionally . . . ,” etc.). Learners also rotated roles for recording information and keeping the group on track.
Throughout the classroom study period, learners worked together to uncover important relationships and the ways the author worked to develop the story through building connections and cultivating trust. They identified the ways in which the author’s personal history and experience may have influenced his decision to take on this story. Bias and point of view were examined and unpacked, including questions such as, “Is neutrality a reality?”
The ongoing work through the book study was to create an individual book/research proposal. The steps of the process included the following sections:
Part 1 included teacher modelling of the generation of topics of interest: “What do I care about?” “Where can I find information about this topic?” “How can I support my own experience with credible research?” “Do I have experience that fits in with a body of research?” Learners then worked together to develop shared ideas and potential sources. They drafted and submitted an “about the author” paragraph, which included information about themselves as writers and the topic they were choosing to explore.
Part 2 asked learners to find six sources that supported the story they chose to tell. Identifying and choosing credible sources and proper citation was explicitly taught/reviewed. Learners were also encouraged to use sources such as videos, interviews, blogs, social media posts, and so on to fully explore the kinds of sources available to them. Once they selected their sources, they had to compose an annotated bibliography. Each annotation included four sentence summaries and three sentence connections. Why are you choosing this source to tell this story?
Part 3 was a description of the target audience for the potential book or research project: “Who needs to hear the story?” “Why them?” “Why now?” “What gaps are being filled by this piece of writing?” “How will it speak to the chosen audience?”
Part 4 was an elevator pitch where learners imagined that they have 120 seconds to pitch their book to a potential publisher. They made decisions about the most important and impactful aspects of their ideas that would inspire interest in reading more. They could either submit a video of their pitch or present it in person in front of the class.
The teacher modelled the creation of each component, and learners handed them in approximately a week apart. They submitted each section for feedback, but no grade was assigned. Learners were encouraged to respond to feedback before the final due date. The final submission was due the week after all of the other pieces had been submitted and feedback had been provided. Learners were able to learn from each other throughout the process by sharing their drafts and sources. The teacher also provided ongoing feedback throughout the process.
A few learners approached the teacher to ask permission to work on a topic that they felt uncomfortable sharing with their classmates. The decision was made to allow these learners to create a video of the pitch and share it only with the teacher. A potential concern was that this might make the rest of the learners hesitant to share, but that did not happen for most of the learners.
| Practice | Presentation | Success Criteria | Score (1 to 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Power and Agency |
Your connection and knowledge about this topic is clear and engaging. Your description and detail clearly outline the personal importance of the topic |
Your narrative is well organized and readable. Your expertise is clearly explained and your authority as author and researcher is established. |
|
Exploration and Design |
There are six credible sources that are relevant and well connected. Three are from credible online academic or government sources. |
Your chosen sources are annotated according to assignment criteria. You have summarized the contents using four complete sentences. You have described the connection using three complete sentences. |
|
|
Power and Agency |
Your understanding of a specific audience is conveyed through your writing. |
Your description is well organized and uses powerful vocabulary to show your deep understanding of your audience. |
|
|
Sense Making |
Your content decisions are clear and deliberate. You have delivered a convincing message in a short period of time. You have left your audience wanting to know more. |
You have used the given time to show specific and impactful decisions about what to include and what not to. Your delivery is entertaining and informative enough to explain your purpose. |
|
Sense Making |
Your forms are completed according to the assigned criteria. Each part contributes to the overall proposal. Your final project has all the required components. |
You have used your personal experience, credible research, persuasive skills, and design ideas to convey an important idea. |
|
System |
Each section uses appropriate features and cues according to purpose. There are no distracting errors. |
There are five identifiable forms that are compiled into a clear and appealing whole. The features, vocabulary choices, punctuation, and spelling are appropriate and used correctly. |
|
Exploration and Design |
You have responded to feedback given throughout the process and revised where appropriate. |
Your final project shows attention to revisions and corrections. The final project is not identical to the previously submitted pieces. |
Farrow, Ronan. Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. Little, Brown and Company, 2019.
