Connect 4: Gamifying Poetry

Description

Imagine a world in which we could saddle our students with a million practice multiple-choice exams between this very minute and the last day of the academic year.

To what extent would they become better test-takers?

My contention is this … most kids would plateau regardless of our efforts and not see significant improvement in their scores.

This is exactly why I gamify instruction.

In today’s video, you will see how we can either use Connect 4 or Jeopardy to tackle five poems:

The Clasp by Sharon Olds
Jorge the Church Janitor Finally Quits by Martin Espada
Not Bad, Dad, Not Bad by Jan Heller Levi
The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac
My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke

The game questions – a blend of student and teacher directed – are excellent in terms of getting students to perform some very tight reads.

Good readers are good M.C. test-takers.

And good readers, in turn, become good writers.

All the slides featured in the video are available for download.

Any questions, please reach out: teachingwritingcoach@gmail.com