Lightbulb

Every year I do a Writing for Change unit with my students that requires both research and persuasive composition. I have tried all sorts of ways to get them to identify an issue of concern of theirs, be it personal, family, peer, academic, social, local, national, or even global, do some research on it, and then address it in writing-- usually in a genre of their choice. I know that sounds a little unstructured, mosty because it is, but hear me out.

One of my objectives is for them to think about what is important to them; another goal is that they discover that they can actually use writing to address such a concern, and still another is for them to understand that there are many ways to do so. Ultimately, my hope is that they will be empowered by that knowledge to become citizens who think and communicate on issues that concern them.

We focus on both theme and message as we read a variety of common texts together and they look at those in their independent reading, too. At the same time, they list, free write, compose questions, and do research on their way to a final product, which might be a speech, a public service announcement, a brochure, a letter, an essay, a protest song, or something else. The intention is to make it as authentic as possible, too, so they identify an audience, too, and we try to get that message out.

It's a messy process. There are so many balls in the air that I've never been quite satisfied with the end result, although I think the process is valuable. Tonight, as I was researching a few issues myself in an attempt to find some current and topical common texts, I noticed a trend. Many websites devoted to specific issues have one or both of the following lists: FAQs and Ten Things YOU Can Do.

It occurred to me that creating either of those things would be a persuasive experience requiring research. Furthermore, they are very concrete and very structured, both of which qualities are under-represented in my unit as it is currently conceived. They may just be the exact products that could pull it all together for those of my students who are still developing their abstract thinking skills.

I can't wait to find out.

(Click here for today's sample of my 6th grade students' response to the 2011 SOLSC challenge.)