Chasity-Question of the Week September 15:

I did an assignment with my class where they had to create a bill as a group and their classmates voted on whether the bill would become a law.  The students were really engaged in the activity when it came to creating a law on a relevant issue.  The law could not already exist and there was a template.  I was excited about the activity, but I neglected to give students an exemplar prior to allowing them to work on the assignment.  I encountered several questions and frustrations that could have been avoided if I would have given an exemplar prior to letting the students work on the activity. Imagine twenty students with questions for clarity. I had to stop the independent work process and go through an exemplar and then allow students to continue working.  This extended the time that I initially allotted for the activity.  It was definitely a lesson learned.  I assumed that the assignment was “easy” since there was a template, but it is never safe to make that assumption.  After I did an exemplar my students were able to work quickly and efficiently to get the assignment done.  If I could do it again I would definitely give the exemplar before allowing students to begin working on the assignment.