Collaborative Writing: Crafting a class "choose your own adventure" story

Adri wrote and illustrated a children's book:
The Very Fairy Princess Goes to Mars.

It's been an unusual few weeks in our class. I (Jason) was out on paternity leave for two weeks, and then the class was gone on the spring trip all of last week. We're finally all back together and at school now, so things are back to normal, if only for another week or so. 

Nick wrote and drew a comic in the style of
Berkeley Breathed (creator of Bloom County,
Outland, and others)

Our last full week together is still packed full of things to do. Many kids are wrapping up projects that they've been working on, and we'll be sharing and presenting our work to each other in the days ahead. Many projects are currently on display in the Middle School Commons, so take a peek if you find yourself in the building this week! 

Kit has been working on a comic adventure in the
style of Tintin creator Hergé

We also started a new writing project today, which has been a fun exercise in creative collaborative work. As a class, we're writing a Choose Your Own Adventure story. We started out by brainstorming some details about two characters, then began pitching in ideas as I typed the story onto a large computer screen. We quickly brought our characters to a point in the story where they had two options, and then we broke into two smaller groups to begin writing them. After advancing those two story lines, each of those branched, creating even smaller groups. As it stands, we have six possible stories in the work, and we'll continue to branch off until each student writes their own ending, which means there will be at least 22 possible outcomes of the story. 

Marcellin adapted the design of the Wright Brothers famous
plane to make it more suited to the atmosphere of
Mars

Rereading what I just wrote makes it seem a little complicated, which is fair, because it has been. But it's also been very fun, and everyone has worked really well together. 

We'll continue this project this week, but  if you're interested in checking out our story so far, click here. (Disclaimer: This is decidedly still a work in progress.) 

Eleanor wrote a short story in the style of author
Wendy Mass

Mars Out of Time (or "MOOT.")

Belgian cartoonist Hergé has recently joined our class. 

Over the next several weeks, you'll be hearing a lot about the planet Mars, and something we call "MOOT." 

"MOOT" stands for Mars Out of Time, which is a new spin on one of our favorite annual projects. For many years, Summers-Knoll students have had the opportunity to participate in Place Out of Time (or "POOT"), a simulation run by the University of Michigan. The idea behind Place Out of Time is brilliant: What if we could bring the great (and lesser) minds of history to ponder a contemporary issue? 


In order to accomplish this, students select a notable character and learn as much about them as possible. They study primary and secondary sources (and learn what "primary" and "secondary" sources are in the process). They comb through books, magazines, websites, documentaries, and beyond in an attempt to learn as much as possible about their character, as well as the time in which they lived. 

Then, each student "becomes" their character, portraying them in the first person in classroom discussions and activities, and also on a web-based messageboard. 

The discussions cover a wide variety of topics, but they always eventually lead to one large, overarching issue. For example, two years ago, students were asked to explore and debate the French law that bans the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in public. Last year, we debated the morality and legality of the Italian scientists who were held criminally liable for failing to accurately predict a 2009 earthquake. 

The project requires that students not only examine the intricacies of a contemporary issue, but that they do it from someone else's perspective, which is often radically different from their own. They learn and practice substantial research skills along the way, and by interacting with their classmates, they learn a lot about characters and times other than the ones that they're studying. It's a fantastic project. 

Dame Julie Andrews has also been recently spotted in the halls of Summers-Knoll!  

The University of Michigan masterminds behind the Place Out of Time program have opted to run a simulation about the Italian earthquake trial again this year. Since so many of our students have already examined this case (most of the current 6th graders, and almost all of the 7th and 8th grade class), we have opted to strike out on our own this semester. We'll still be collaborating with the U of M Place Out of Time crew, but our issue this time will be one that ties into our own recent studies: We will be planning and conducting a manned expedition to Mars. 

Kids have already selected their characters, and we've begun the research phase of the project. On Thursday, we took a field trip to the Ann Arbor District Library, where we were given a tour of their collection, with a specific focus on materials that pertain to each student's character. 

A selection of research materials for our cast of characters from a recent trip to the Ann Arbor District Library. 

Place Out of Time/Mars Out of Time is always a fun, highly-rated experience. Excitement runs high!