Oh, my little friends had some fun with writing diary entries today. The boys wrestled over being asked to do "girls' work." This quickly became a teachable moment for the class. What do you do, as a student, when asked to write on a topic that doesn't really interest you? I brought up many writing situations they will face over the next 2-3 years in which they will have to demonstrate their ability to make an intelligent argument on paper to go to college, graduate from high school, be reclassified from ELL to fully proficient in English, etc. We then returned to the assignment. Girls wrote as BOYS and boys wrote as GIRLS. Of course, there was a lot of chatter going on, but the talk was on task so I was delighted. I will have them post their diary entries tomorrow and we will vote on the most convincing ones. Maybe I will give out Snickers for prizes.
Denise:)
I have my boys write as girls when we read a novel--Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. It teaches empathy as well as point of view. Good for you for having them switch roles. I will have to find a way to have my girls do the same.
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