Talk Drawings and Peer Review

One of the talking drawings. 

On Friday students created a talking drawing about Charlemagne.  If you are not up on your World History, Charlemagne was a Frankish King who became the Holy Roman Emperor in 800.  He was big into converting pagans into Roman Catholics and uniting Europe as it was under the Roman Empire.  So the students had to sum up two assignments about him.

I created the "drawing" as I figured it would cut down on the time students spent  on the assignment. They were supposed to write the following items: What Charlemagne was thinking about, what he was actually seeing, what he was feeling, what a strength he would possess, what would his feet be moving towards, and then his Achilles' heel or his weakness.  Most groups did a great job.

Today in study hall, or Connections, I had three students peer review the fifteen total drawings and condensed them down to eight.  Then the students put the eight best on a large poster and then hung it on the wall for me.  At first, I was utilizing the students to choose the best but then I, as I was listening to their conversations, they were really critiquing their work.  I heard things like, "this makes no sense", or "their grammar is all wrong", or "what are they trying to say...I don't get it!"  I was really impressed that they took the task so seriously!

Three of my students peer reviewing.

After the students picked their  top eight, they arranged them on butcher paper and hung it up in the classroom.  One of them added a 3-D crown to represent Charlemagne's reign.

The finished product!

I really liked the talking drawing because it allowed the students to write their thoughts in an unconventional way and made the student critically think about what they have learned about Charlemagne.  Additionally, I enjoyed stumbling upon the peer review.  I wonder what else I could use it for!? 

Happy Teaching!

C