Tell Me Your Story: Video-Inspired Vocabulary Writing

Student Objectives

Instruction and Activities

Extensions

Student Assessment/Reflections

 

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will

• Demonstrate an understanding of vocabulary words and creative writing practices by responding to a variety of videos
  
  
• Construct better understanding of vocabulary words by analyzing and justifying their evaluation of a peer’s creative writing piece

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Instruction and Activities

1. Briefly review with students any vocabulary words you’re studying, and tell students that they will be using these words within a creative writing exercise.
   
   
2. Display the video you’ve chosen on your projector, interactive whiteboard, or tablet. Remind students they are going to respond to the video in writing and should pay close attention to the video and think about how they can respond using vocabulary words.
   
   
3. Pass out the Creative Writing Prompt to accompany the video, and ask students to write quietly. The first time you do the activity, walk students through the example provided in the prompt before they begin to write. Circulate and answer questions about the vocabulary as needed.
   
   
4. When students have completed the writing, pass out the Peer Analysis Guide. Group students into pairs and have them trade papers and complete the peer analysis for each other’s stories. Circulate and answer questions as needed.
   
   
5. Collect students’ completed Creative Writing Prompt and Peer Analysis Guide. Use the Grading Rubric to grade each student’s final product.

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EXTENSIONS

You can continue this lesson series throughout the year, either by choosing your own video clips and inventing short creative writing prompts, or by inviting students to take turns doing it. Note that if students choose the clips, they should be submitted to the teacher for approval in advance.

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

• Informally assess students’ understanding of the vocabulary by reviewing their selections and explanations on the completed Peer Analysis Guide.
  
  
• Formally assess students’ understanding of the vocabulary and their effort in creative writing by using the Grading Rubric.

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