WeVideo Lesson Lab at CUE BOLD

Digital storytelling is one of my passions, and WeVideo has given me an incredible opportunity to be a teacher facilitator in their lesson lab at CUE BOLD this year. One of the lessons I'll be sharing (and having participants create an abbreviated version of) is called the "I Am Poem."  Since the dawn of time, teachers have used BioPoems and I Am Poems to get to know students at the beginning of the year, during the first few weeks when building culture and climate is so important. I've taken the I Am Poem format and made it content-based for Language Arts and Social Studies. 

In their book, The Eduprotocol Field Guide, Jon Corippo and Marlene Hebern talk about providing multiple opportunities for students to tackle tasks; as in, giving "reps" (repeated attempts at learning) when it comes to certain assignment types. The content varies, but the general task remains the same.  That's been the guiding philosophy behind my I Am Poem lesson.  At the close of a novel or unit, I ask students to select a character, a historical figure, or a people group. Then, they write the I Am Poem from that point of view. (Feel free to use my template.) Students self-assess using a rubric as they create, and we conference 1:1 to determine the final grade, which is a combination of my feedback and their own reflection. Throughout the year, we'll repeat the task, and students get faster and more creative with each iteration. 

Here are a few sample student-created I Am Poems to get you started on your own project: