Teaching Point of View via Podcasting

If you passed by Room 108 lately and wondered about the signs “Recording, Quiet Please”, my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students were recording podcasts on Garage Band. The assignment was the culminating assessment of my creative writing lesson on author’s point of view and perspective.  What follows is an encapsulated version of the process.

LESSON: To Teach the Literary Element – Author’s Point of View

• OBJECTIVES:
  • Students will learn the various points of view and be able to identify them in literary works.
  • Students will explore how point of view affects a story’s plot.
  • Students will learn to discern the subtle differences between author’s point of view and perspective, and how to employ each in their own creative writing.

• SET INDUCTION: I love to tell stories, so I began with a 1st person narrative about an awkward situation that involved me and several others. I then asked students to imagine the thoughts and emotions of the other “characters”.  How would the story differ if told from a 3rd person omniscient point of view. Or, better yet, what stories would each of those involved tell in their own 1st person voices?

• APPLICATION: Each class read a short story from their literature texts* and was asked to identify the author’s point of view.  Students were instructed to imagine how the stories would sound if told from the perspective of a minor character or a personified object. Discussion ensued, and though the repartee was thoughtful and stimulating, I felt I needed something more concrete by which to evaluate. I had recently spoken with 21st century learning specialist Silvia Tolisano about the successful podcasts she was doing with our lower grades and wondered if the same technology could be used as an assessment tool …

*8th: “The Telltale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe; 7th: “The Foghorn” and “All Summer in a Day”, both by Ray Bradbury; 6th: “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros

• PODCAST: Using Garage Band, each student recorded a retelling of the story he/she read from a perspective other than that of the original narrator. Students could select a minor character, the protagonist or an inanimate object to tell their tales. In some instances, students were allowed to create characters (a.k.a. the “fly on the wall”), as long as they stayed true to original storylines. After recording the narrations, enhancements (e.g., sound effects, music) were added to the podcasts. [This took longer than I budgeted time for, not anticipating the additional learning curve for editing skills.]

• ASSESSMENT: The podcasts became the means by which I evaluated whether or not my objectives were met. Each student presented his/her completed podcast to their classmates, preceded by an  introduction  explaining why a particular character/object was chosen. After each presentation, the class as a whole was charged with identifying the author’s point of view.

Note: Though higher level critical thinking and creative imagery were my goals, what transpired produced a whole new skills set in digital storytelling. As a result, I asked my 8th graders to create a generic Podcast Rubric for all grades. Hence, in addition to the lesson’s objectives, students will be assessed on podcast content, technical production, and presentation.

REFLECTION:

• WHAT WORKED: The majority of the students “got it”. They were able to use perspective and point of view in a creative writing/storytelling scenario. They were enthusiastic, focused (for the most part), and exhibited pride in their work. Peer review was more “critique” than “criticism” – always a plus. And I learned more about podcasting and Garage Band than I ever thought I would – or could!

• WHAT DIDN’T WORK: Concurrent recording during class time.  There were not enough places to go to record in quiet. Background noise was a problem, and editing often led to volatile frustration. Time was also an issue. I had originally scheduled 5 class periods per grade for this assignment. (I should have known better.) I eventually had to call for all podcasts to be submitted after 3 weeks.

• WOULD I DO THIS AGAIN? Yes, with tweaking. Now that I know what’s involved, I’ll begin with a definitive rubric that reflects objectives and goals, add a production schedule, and stagger recordings.