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10 December 2017
in to the idea of simultaneously writing creatively and analytically. Based on the first round of
initial draft work students submitted, they appeared to embrace the expectation of demonstrating
Your Land, and you will hear a bit of the sense of brotherhood and longing for belonging in
Steinbecks Of Mice and Men, which has been the source material for my students creative
exploration.
https://youtu.be/wxiMrvDbq3s
Since one of my main goals has been to expect students to develop their creative projects
while reading the novel rather than creating it when finished, they shared their first draft work
though we hadnt yet finished reading Of Mice and Men. Ive been impressed with their
eagerness to engage with the text this way, and its been exciting for me to see them demonstrate
informally their understanding of the characters and themes of the text and the authors choices
Based on conversations Ive had with my students over the last few weeks regarding their
project choices, Im encouraged by the way they are able to articulate their understanding of
characters and themes from Of Mice and Men through nontraditional analysis. In-class
assignments and homework laid the foundation for their exploration. One of the primary
assessments I used was a Data Sheet students completed for sections of the text; on it they were
asked to summarize the plot, give examples of characterization, and give evidence for possible
Plot summary Describe significant events and quotes from each chapter (4-5 sentences each)
Chapter 1 Title:
Chapter 2 Title:
elements of the texts we have discussed and they have identified. One student is composing
poems from the point of view of George and Lennie as they encounter difficulties on the ranch.
Another is creating an interview between a newspaper reporter and George, as the reporter asks
him a series of (student generated) open-ended questions about his longings and struggles. Some
are making collages which represent visually the themes and symbols they observe in the novel.
This, with the other research data I collected, seems to show that creative writing is not
inferior to more traditional forms of analysis when the goal is exploration of a text or idea;
rather, it is a powerful tool for understanding. Oliver Belas writes, education ought to take
seriously the role of poetical experience, and the practices fostered by creative writing (Belas
49).1 Belas further emphasizes this idea as he traces the history of creative writing, concluding
that literary criticism is essentially a creative genre (49). He proposes an arts-practical ideal for
Hinchman Interview
1
Belas, Oliver. The Perfectionist Call of Intelligibility: Secondary English, Creative Writing,
and Moral Education. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, vol. 26, no. 1, 2016, pp. 37-52.
Stacey Hinchman began teaching at McGavock High School when I was two years old.
But shes not one of those stuffy teachers who long ago lost her passion for teaching and, as a
result, her effectiveness. She told me the reason she has taught in the same classroom for 25
years: I still love it and think I can still make a difference. And she does.
Gets them in all their feels. Writing creatively about a text, especially a
character, enables the student to get into the characters situation and understand
what events feel like for that character, even if that character is a different sex,
nationality, etc.
Beyond the assignment itself, though, creative writing helps students understand
the world around them and Empathize with people who are different. Level 3
Serves as a bridge to deeper analysis of themes and elements that the author
intends. Essential to understand the character before you can understand themes,
etc. Character sketches/maps helps them get to the bigger ideas. The author has
writing creatively).
Start with a scene and re-tell it through a different characters POV. Expects
student to examine POV and show, like an author does, how POV can affect the
Student 4: SC
21 November
- For list A, I am going to create a childrens book. Last year, we had a similar project like
this and I did not focus on being creative. I took a figurative project instead of doing a project
that involves art and creativity. So far right now I will include George and Lennie, their
backstory, and where they are working now. I would also list their relationships.
30 November
They used to work in Weed.
2 December
I would include where they worked (which was Weed) and why they got kicked out.
Jus wanted to feel that girls dress.how the hell did she know you jus wanted to feel her
dress? She jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we got to hide in a
irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin for us. (pg.11) Basically Lennie likes the womans
dress, touches, confused as to why she is screaming and holds on even longer. In the womans
perspective, it looks like Lennie is trying to molest her.
Theyll planning to go to the next ranch which they will meet Slim, Carlson, Candy, Curley,
and his wife. They found out that Curley dislikes Lennie with a passion. Slim is considered the
leader or the good, wise guy of the group. Candys old but has money. Curleys wife is a bit of
a trouble. Then Crooks the negro man who hates everyone who enters his room...except Lennie.
- For List B, I am going to write a character journal. The perspective I chose will be
Slims. I like his character. He is considered the nice guy. For now I trust him. I would include
his relationships towards the others and his feelings. I would include his therapeutic talk with
George.
Student 5: BM
Part A: I have decided to do the collage project. I am using and finding quotes as we read the
book to keep track of quotes i can use within my project. I can also use photos of animals and
other singnificant pictures to represent things such aslennie or Candys dog.
Part B: I am going to do the character journal. I plan to either use Georger or Lennie as my
character. Georges journal woulf include his frustration with Lennie. Lennies journal would be
based off trying to please George and to make George happy.
Collage Quotes:
Jus a dead mouse, George. I didnt kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead. - Lennie
You jus stand there and dont say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are,
we wont get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, were set. Ya got
that? - George
I could get along so easy and so nice if I didnt have you on my tail. I could live so easy
and maybe have a girl.
CONNECTION TO WRITING ASSIGNMENT DESIGN
Rationale/Overview:
This design began with a series of questions: How does creative writing support/deepen
students knowledge of a text; to what degree does writing creatively about a literary work lead
to more analytical writing about the same work; how can high school students demonstrate their
journaling, writing creatively); and how could I promote greater student engagement with
In "Writing About Literature and Other Texts" (chapter 12) of Inside Out, Kirby and
Crovitz focus on using diverse methods to achieve what we as English teachers hold as a primary
goal: to foster a love for reading, writing, and indeed, learning. If my goal truly is to motivate
students to become lifelong learners who are excited about reading and writing, then the authors
implication of variety in assessment is appropriate "Sure, the traditional critique ... But what do
you do to change it up a bit in your class? To kick the lead out and generate some energy among
your students as they transact with a variety of texts?" They go on to describe in a fair degree of
detail a number of different strategies. At times in this chapter I was embarrassed to think of the
way that at times I have been guilty of trying to turn my students into English majors, though I
would never have admitted it--approaching curriculum choices and writing prompts with the goal
of getting them to know certain texts or concepts rather than to enjoy exploring them.
It wont be the first time Ive assigned a creative project. However, in the past Ive
treated such assignments as an add-on with an attitude that weve done everything important,
now do this for fun. My approach this time is to integrate the exploration of Of Mice and Men
with creative response, using different modes of writing to push students to engage with the text
in a way that reflects their understanding of it. I hope that my sophomores enjoy reading
Context:
This writing assignment for my English II classes at McGavock High School (Nashville).
Each class meets for 72 minutes every other day (A days, B days). We will be reading Of Mice
and Men. The study of the novel will be couched in a larger context of rhetorical strategies and
the theme of disillusionment; we will have read two short informational pieces, and will study at
A. What happens when a variety of modalities/genres are used as process work for a
research assignment?
C. To what degree to writing creatively about a literary work lead to more analytical
creatively).
E. How could I promote greater student engagement with extended texts through
F. To what degree does student collaboration and shared feedback produce better
writing?
C. ??
express ideas.
I was exploring this idea in the discuss last week for ENGL 501: "
classical approach
Questions:
What were some of the defining moments in the shift from rhetoric
At the beginning of the quarter, we gave our sophomores a narrative writing prompt (and
corresponding rubric) from the district which would serve as a benchmark assessment; students
were to read a short, illustrated informational article on the Dust Bowl and the migrant families,
then write a narrative from the perspective of one of three types of characters: a father looking
for work, a mother trying to provide basic necessities for her family, or a child witnessing a dust
storm and its effects. We were originally simply going to assign a numerical grade and report the
data to the district and to the school for our SIP, but decided rather to give more authentic
feedback to the students for revision and assign a series of grades as they work toward a more
polished final product. We did this for two reasons: 1) the benchmark assessment prompt aligned
historically to our major text, and 2) we hadnt prepared students adequately for the kind of
So, as we read Of Mice and Men over the next three weeks (beginning tomorrow,
introducing the creative project Wednesday), they will both use the text to inform their project
choices and revise their narratives. The rubric is below, followed by samples from the first
responses from students. The grades assigned for the initial draft are formative; their subsequent