Do I have a choice?

So I've begun work on my Teacher Inquiry Project for this year…How do I engage my  higher-achieving students at a deeper level?  I'm revolving this question around using a Literature Circle format as the students discover the 20th Century.  I've divided the students up into two groups.  The group of boys  have chosen to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor focusing on Civil Rights issues, while the girls have chosen to read Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse focusing on The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.  Both groups were also given the option of picking The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963.  My hope is that by providing some student choice there will be even greater by in there there was for the Civil War novels.

 

Once again, we will be utilizing the wiki for a response mechanism.  My desire is to have the students take over more and more of the ownership and leadership of the wiki.  My biggest dilemma at this point will be how to assess their usage of it.  I know that I can require a certain number of log-ins, but I also know that by doing so I will most likely just end up having students do the minimum and not really put the depth into it.  I want them to see the wiki as a place where they can not only put their thoughts about the story, but also a place where they can discover others thoughts and respond to those as well.  I'm hoping to create an actual 'Book Club' type of format where they are working collaboratively to puzzle together to construct their own meanings from the literature.  Of course, I will also be logging on in order to probe some of their thinking where needed, but I hope that as it progresses, there will be less and less need of that.

 

I see this fitting in with my larger thoughts at this point by creating or attempting to create a collaborative culture that is centered around the students, their interests, their choices, and their voice.  Rather than me dictating comprehension questions and forcing them to see all of my interpretations, I instead want to encourage them to discover it on their own.  Again, however, I am left with the problem of assessment.  I think some sort of survey and questionnaire is in order as well as some sort of accountability grading.  I think that I may have them be in on creating what the accountability grading might look like and then force them to hold each other to it rather than it only coming from me.  When it comes to actual assessment of what was learned, however, I want to find a way for the students to really be able to assess themselves…that is what it iis all about in the end right?