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Hi. I am new to the NSTA forums. Several years ago I read in Science Scope Ralph Pillsbury's article called the "Never Ending Story" about diagramming each unit.I was wondering if anyone has ever tried that and if so are there any tips or suggestions?
Thanks,Stacey
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Hi. I am new to the NSTA forums. Several years ago I read in Science Scope Ralph Pillsbury's article called the "Never Ending Story" about diagramming each unit.I was wondering if anyone has ever tried that and if so are there any tips or suggestions?
Thanks,Stacey
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Hi Stacey,
Yes, I have read that article, too. Here is the product guide in the Learning Center in case anyone else wants to read it: 'Making Learning A Never Ending Story'. I, too, would love to hear if anyone has tried it in his/her classroom. Thanks for bringing it up, Stacey.
Carolyn
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Hi ladies!
I could be a walking commercial for the Never Ending Story method. It was a mainstay in my urban classroom (97% free and reduced lunches) and we had the second highest value added scores in the district - when I first took the position our science scores were dead last in the district. I credit our incredible gains to the Never Ending Story method, which then grew to other subjects and grade levels in my school.
A few tips - Limit the amount of words you allow students to use on each illustration. I limited my kids to 5 or less, not including symbols. For example, students are often encouraged to use "up arrows" to indicate the word "increased." Using symbols in this manner did not go against their word count. This absolutely forces students to put definitions/explanations in their own words, rather than copying from a glossary. I held several lessons just on how to create 5 word definitions.
Be patient - this is hard for many kids to do. It demands a true understanding of the key vocabulary. They have to perform in front of you and their peers. And many of them are not great artists. For students who really, really ,really struggle with the art, I introduce them to Mr. Stick who becomes the narrator in their Never Ending Story. But Mr. Stick still only gets 5 words per illustration. It's actually more work - but it helps some kids transition to the idea of drawing instead of explaining or merely copying definitions.
Keep in mind that creating the Never Ending Story was the review for our state standardized tests. I did not do any drills. No practice tests of any kind. Nadda. Zip. Zilch. My kids came in every day, grabbed their scrolls, kicked off their shoes (shoes lead to shoe prints and torn scrolls which leads to arguments - buy some air freshener and make them take off their shoes) and started drawing. I even played music while they worked.
It was without a doubt the most powerful thing I ever introduced to my classroom.
Hope that helps!
Kendra
OH! [url=http://writingfix.com/PDFs/WAC_Docs/Mr_Stick_overhead_instructions.pdf]And here's a link to Mr. Stick[/url].
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Hi Stacey,
I'm glad you posted this. I had never heard of this and was able to read the article. I am anxious to learn more!
Annie
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Thank you Carolyn for posting the article (good idea:) and thanks Kendra for the tips. I teach 10th grade biology and I am hoping this will help them make the connections needed for success in class. I LOVE your Mr. Stick idea. That is about the extent of my drawing abilities too.... Did you have them make the pencil/paper version and then put in on the large sheet of paper? Do you think it is possible only to do it on smaller paper (8 x 11) or is that too restrictive? I a not sure how much the big rolls of paper will cost me from my budget. Your tips on minimizing words is a good idea too- I can see some kids just copying notes etc and missing the point! If you have any samples that you don't want I would be happy to see a finished product.
Many thanks for your insight.
Stacey
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Thank you Carolyn for posting the article (good idea:) and thanks Kendra for the tips. I teach 10th grade biology and I am hoping this will help them make the connections needed for success in class. I LOVE your Mr. Stick idea. That is about the extent of my drawing abilities too.... Did you have them make the pencil/paper version and then put in on the large sheet of paper? Do you think it is possible only to do it on smaller paper (8 x 11) or is that too restrictive? I a not sure how much the big rolls of paper will cost me from my budget. Your tips on minimizing words is a good idea too- I can see some kids just copying notes etc and missing the point! If you have any samples that you don't want I would be happy to see a finished product.
Many thanks for your insight.
Stacey
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Hi again Stacey,
I'm attaching the rubrics I used below. On the back of Rubric 1 I would provide a list of terms they should have completed for that section/chapter. Rubric 2 was used as a "practice" session for the final grade to clean up any problem areas. Rubrics 1 & 2 counted as test grades for me, but rubric 3 was an exam grade, so I wanted to give them a final opportunity to get it right before throwing down the gauntlet. This also means that students got 2 test grades some times, which can be a huge help to struggling students who "get it" but don't test well.
During the rough draft phase, I had students use printer paper. It's cheap and fits in a standard folder. The butcher paper for the scrolls is relatively inexpensive. I taught six sections of life science and one roll would be enough for all 140+/- students (with some left over for the next year).
Let me know if you have any other questions! I'd love to hear how it works for you.
Kendra
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Hi Kendra,
Thank you so much for your assistance and links to your rubrics. I appreciate all of your tips and suggestions on how to complete this in the most effective way!
Stacey
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Hi Kendra,
Thank you so much for your assistance and links to your rubrics. I appreciate all of your tips and suggestions on how to complete this in the most effective way!
Stacey
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