Turning Student Research into Passion
One teacher’s Leap of Faith
Last semester, Jill Corr told her Advanced Composition students they would not be taking a traditional final. Instead, they would be creating documentaries. Jill knew a little about iMovie, but she admits that she was no expert. It didn’t matter. She wanted her students to use research and storytelling skills to create their own movies, and she was confident that they would be able to figure out the technology as they worked.
“I told my kids we would be teaching each other,” she says. Her leap of faith was worth the risk. Take a look at the moving documentary created by PHS senior, Olivia Sykes. Here Olivia features the heart-breaking struggle of an American immigrant — her nanny, Adela.
Jill was amazed both by the quality of the work her students produced and also by the passion they felt for their topics. Click on Jill’s assignment, below, to see Jill’s complete assignment.
Before putting together film clips, photos, and audio recording, students turned in scripts.
Final projects revealed the passion and commitment the students experienced as they researched their topics. Click on the images below to see other student documentaries. Click here to see the grading rubric Jill used to evaluate student work.
Follow more of Jill Corr’s innovative teaching @CorrJill.
