Alison Dillman

School

Perry Meridian Middle School

Grant Title

Show Me “How-To” Do That!

Synopsis

Students will write essays with a fun twist. Instead of doing the age-old “how-to” essay, students will create instructions for a fun task that other students will be able to perform. Students will model a “how-to” essay in the form of an instruction manual. Students will take a picture of each step and the final product. Pictures will be revealed after a student attempts to follow the instructions and perform the task. This project will be the end-task of an expository writing unit. After students create their instructions, students will perform a gallery walk. The students will be provided materials and instructions (playing cards, folding paper, Legos). The students will be given a time limit to perform the task. The students will fill out feedback forms to share successes or things to improve.

Writing is a large part of the language arts curriculum. Students get frustrated with the same writing assignments year after year. In order to keep students engaged and wanting to learn in my class, I have to come up with alternative ways to get the required assignments done AND make sure my students are successful at the same time. Creating these assignments is a time-consuming and often costly task but well worth it!