Once each quarter, you will have a chance to take the wheel and steer our class discussions in whatever direction you deem interesting, relevant, and appropriate. In a group of three, you will be responsible for opening up and guiding a conversation about the story or stories that are assigned for that day. You will be expected to cover 30 minutes of the class period, but if the conversation is rolling and you don't want to stop, you will be permitted to go longer. Typically, these end up filling the whole period--once the class gets going, conversations develop their own momentum.
Your group should get together, either in person or virtually, through a Google Doc, and plan out what you want to cover in your discussion. Figure out what are the most important or interesting aspects of the story and how you might frame questions that will lead the class toward thinking productively about these aspects. You might use a typical day of class under my leadership as an example: an initial focus on voice, point of view, and narrative structure can be a good way to open up more general ideas. You can structure the class period however you'd like: assign a short in-class writing prompt, break the class into small groups for discussion, use the board or the projector or laptops--whatever will facilitate a productive and insightful discussion. Try to call on your students in the order in which they raise their hand (which is not easy, I can attest), and as I said in class, treat me like just another student: if my hand is raised, I want to comment as part of the discussion, and I should not be given priority over other students (nor, however, should I be made to wait longer than other students!).
The schedule for presentations in the first quarter is available here. (It will also be posted in the classroom.) If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. And I'd always be glad to discuss strategy with your group in advance of your big day in the front of the room.
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