Story Project
By:  Kim Alston

Project at a Glance :

This project was done in connection with the Little Read and Story Project with the Herrick District Library.  

Driving Question:

How can we help share the stories of the newcomers at our school/community?         

Standards:

• Language Arts Skills: Questioning, listening skills, problem solving skills.
• Writing CCSS: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 
• The Employability Skill would be “Achievement” - setting goals, trying to succeed at those goals, and striving to be competent in their own work.

Team / Culture Building:

• Hopes, Fears and Norms​
• What Do You Value activity​

​Entry Event:

• Adrienne Baker from Herrick Library came to class to read the story Dreamers. She talked about the Story Project we will participate in and shared past examples. This helped the kids get excited about the project.​

Stakeholders:

• Newcomer students
• Migrant students 
• Mrs. Alston
• Herrick District Library
• Local library visitors
• Educators
• Students​ ​

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map

• Empathy Map
• #Hashtag Mood Board

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Newcomer Visits: Nayeli Venegas, a fifth-grade teacher, and Idania Quintanar, a former migrant student, came to talk to us about their experiences growing up in Michigan as migrant students.
• Need to Know list - The class wrote on sticky notes things they already know about the Story Project and the book Dreamers. Then we wrote down things we still need to know before we can begin our project.

Incubation:

• Brainwriting​​

• I like, I wish, What if - After Brainwriting, students got their cards back and read the ideas from other students. Then we got together and asked each other what they liked about the idea, what they wished it had, and what if we changed it somehow.

Checking in:

• Talking Chips

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Solution Building:

• Saturate & Group
• $100 Test​

• Poster Session & Dot Voting

Authentic Audience:

• Mrs. Alston

Final Presentation:

• Groups presented their ideas to each other and Mrs. Alston.​

Reflection and Feedback:

• As part of the project students heard Yuyi Morales author of Dreamers  speak.

• Students will attend a book signing event at Herrick District Library.

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

Kim Alston teaches SAIL (Students Accelerating in Reading) at Lakeshore Elementary in Holland, MI. SAIL is a program for students performing above grade-level in reading and writing. She teaches grades 3-5.

     "I like PBL because it brings real-life experiences and critical thinking skills into the classroom."