Beyond the Book Report: Finding Student Voice Through Podcasting

“Mrs. Dawson, I never want to write another essay again,” a student groaned after class, clearly worn out by the end-of-term pileup of assignments. As a student teacher in a ninth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, Gaby could relate to her student’s fatigue— she only had one last reading unit to plan and teach before the end of the semester. However, with thoughts of winter break at the forefront of her students’ minds, Gaby noticed it was getting increasingly difficult to keep them engaged. To finish the semester strong, she needed a high-interest project and summative assessment that could reenergize her classroom.