In class several times Dr.
Oldakowski mentioned a project where students had to make Facebook status
updates for a major character in a book that they were reading to aid in
classroom discussions. I thought about
taking the idea one step farther.
Perhaps for a project in an English classroom setting students could
design a Facebook page with not only status up dates that the character would
likely post if they kept a Facebook as the plot proceeds throughout the
story. They could add things such as
placing their selected character from their favorite book we read in class into
a relationship with another character from another work that we read explaining
why they did so. I think this would be
an engaging way for students to do in-depth character analysis to obtain a
deeper understanding of the books we read.
They could also make a friends list for that character, using characters
from the book that the character is from as well as other books we have
read. They could design a profile picture;
say where they live, their age, favorite music, movies, where they work,
events, who they would poke, etc. What
do you guys think?
I actually REALLY like this idea, so much so that I will likely steal it from you in the future.
ReplyDeleteI had always thought of the whole character-post-on-facebook thing as a bit cheesy and, to an extent, superficial. Your idea, however, allows the project to be taken to the next level. It incorporates more than just simply retelling the plot with a few snarky comments sprinkled around. It will get the students thinking about the relationships between characters and stories, tying the unit as a whole into a more connected mass.
So, yes! I think this is an awesome way of using the Facebook activity much more effective. Definitely try to use it in the future!
Great idea and absolutely a way to analyze character.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I should clarify that the facebook idea is more for reluctant readers. Like Jake said, it can be superficial, and students may not see the value of it and just re-create moments from the text. But working with reluctant readers, I have seen them dig into the text more than they would have without the assignment. Just wanted to share.