I also wanted to create an authentic task that students can be empowered by. I have written several letters to my representatives when needed. I am more often successful than not and I wanted to share this with students. I had students present responses in an online gallery walk so they could see generic form letters from politicians. This will help students see when they are being ignored by politicians. Hopefully they can be motivated to write again and get a better response. 

Most often people only complain to friends and family if they have an issue with public service. This will provide insight for students to see what can be done if they act. I think it is engaging for students to because it is easy to see the benefit or application. 

I wanted this lesson to reflect culturally responsive practices so I made sure students were able to pick any speakers to promote diverse perspectives. The examples of speakers students I provided  were also selected to be more inclusive. I wish I had included speakers from first nations and people living with disabilities as well. Originally I had wanted the students to create the rubric so it could include more aspects of CRT, but the lesson would have been much longer in length and I thought not efficient. During larger projects I would have the students co-create the assessment. 

I have included my post about using switching as means to develop critical literacy. I also included Jessica Firth’s response to my post in my portfolio. I think she was able to consolidate my ideas and expand on them so well. I thought her idea of using switching in Hamlet as a means to explore gender stereotypes was great. 

I included one of my posts related to helping students with reading difficulties. It is quite well known that confidence is key to learning. If students feel they can learn something, they will. If they feel it is too difficult or their skill is low, they won’t. I wanted to do some research on practical ways to help struggling readers develop self-confidence. Sadly I was only able to find a little. But I included it in my portfolio as a reminder to continue to research more strategies. 

I also included Samantha Futino’s post on the topic. I think de-stigmatization is such an important attribute that teachers need to strive for. I included her post to help me remember to self reflect on the stigmatism I may hold. I also thought the website she included was a great resource so I included that as well.