TOOL Name: Canvas Instructure

TOOL URL https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/854275/discussion_topics

Contributor: Andrew Still
Grade Level: 11-12/adult
Class/Course/Subject: all subjects (English, Social Studies)
Activity Idea #1: Movie Review
Accounts needed: Canvas Instructure, IMDB.com

Students will create accounts on Canvas under the guidance of the

teacher. (Note: students under 19 years of age and without parental
permission will be provided an option to perform all activities in hard
copy during class time.

Students will accept the invitation to be one of my students in Canvas,

as they will have already provided me with their email addresses
The teacher will then provide a brief orientation of Canvas features.

Activity Idea 1:

The first Canvas-based assignment will entail watching a movie called

Cinderella Man, which we will watch during both English and Social
Studies classes. For assessment, students will turn in a review of the
film. As part of this assignment, students must create accounts on
IMDB.com.

Prior to the in-class viewing, students are given the marking criteria and
expectations for the assignment. I also provide exemplars of a poor and
excellent movie review, and as a class, we draw comparisons for each of
them.
Example: Saying I just didnt like it is not specific enough and must
be supported by detailed descriptions and examples from the movie.
After their hard copy assignments have been submitted and peer-edited,
students will then do two things:
First, they will upload their reviews onto IMDB.com. For enhanced
alternatives, they are also free to respond to other comments from
members and send me the link if they choose.
Then they will connect to each other through a discussion of their
opinions by making their first post on the Canvas discussion board.
This ensures a healthy discourse in a monitored, closed forum.
Formative assessment will occur via my responses to their work on
the discussion board.

Activity Idea #2: Movie Roles

Activity Idea 2:

Accounts Needed: Canvas Instructure, Gmail/Googledocs

As a follow up to this unit, students will be studying elements of short

story. I am also using a cross-curricular design by using the film to

dissect the rise of dictatorships in Social Studies. After watching the
movie, V for Vendetta, students will take notes on their assigned roles
and work collaboratively in pairs, typing them into Canvas using
GoogleDocs.

Students must first create accounts for themselves in Gmail. To save

time, its best to have this done already prior to class. Gmail includes
a detailed description of privacy policy, so some time should be
allowed for students to go through the form.

I will then give a brief tutorial on using the Googledocs application,

followed by a small chatroom-based activity to assess their ability to
work collaboratively online.

NOTE: Its important that all students get into Googledocs via their Canvas
accounts.

Next, I will provide exemplars for the worksheet activity, followed by a

viewing of the film.

For assessment, I will be looking at the overall comprehension being

evidenced in the work.

Example #1: Character traits are only minimally filled-out

- demonstrates lack of comprehension with respect to characterization or the
set of instructions itself.

Example #2: internal and external conflict are either used improperly
or poorly explained.
- did not identify the internal transformation of Evie; did not identify the
man vs. society conflict throughout the film.
Activity Idea #3: Song Project
Accounts Needed: Canvas Instructure

Activity Idea 3:

In the past, I have given students this assignment in hard copy to help
them make personal connections to figurative language. It usually
works quite well, but the primary reason for otherwise is often caused
by a failure to provide an adequate description of all the techniques.
In the end, many students only partially comprehend the concepts.

After providing a lesson on use and examples of figurative language,

students will then be charged with the task of finding these examples
for themselves, as they occur in songs and pop culture.

Students will create definitions of each term for themselves, and most
importantly, in their own words.

Example: Onomatopoeia = a word that imitates a sound (Crash,

Boom, etc.)

Next, they must scour the internet for examples of these in song lyrics.

NOTE: Using only 4 songs, students must be able to provide at least

one example of each term. Meaning, they only get to use 4 songs to
account for all 9 terms.

After Ive reviewed their work, their next task will be to post their song
examples to the class chart on the discussion board.
NOTE: This should be done after all students have completed the
assignment

(OPTIONAL: State their favorite example in the favorites column)

Formative assessment will involve a figurative language quiz, which

will include some of these examples.