We invite you to describe a student — an actual one or one you create — who you might encounter in a future class.
We are asking you to:
- Learn more about Pat Carini’s, The Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol, by making personal connections while commenting on NowComment.
- Discover more about The Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol by reading and annotating examples of descriptive reviews on NowComment.
- Create and publish on Youth Voices a descriptive review of a student that includes details about how they interact with texts, language, and challenges.
- Read and write comments on the Descriptions of a Child by your colleagues on Youth Voices.
Click here to see this playlist in a Kumospace.
Activities
Your goal for this playlist is to complete the four activities in the boxes below. As you finish each of these endeavors, your work will be collected in the timeline of your wall on Youth Voices. At a later time, we’ll ask you to bookmark the items in your timeline that are most meaningful to you, and we’ll ask you to reflect on and assess your learning using the Habits of Mind.
[1 of 4] Read and annotate Pat Carini’s Descriptive Review of A Child in NowComment.
We invite you to read and annotate The Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol. This protocol was developed by Pat Carini to support a reflective process around students and their work.
On NowComment, you will comment on and react to the process described in the article.
What we are inviting you to make:
While you read The Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol, we want you to spend some time considering these question:
- How is this process different or similar to the ways in which you (or others) have encountered, observed, and described students?
- This protocol has continued to appear “radical” to some educators. Why do you think, after nearly 30 years, this protocol is considered radical and new?
- Which of these steps seem most valuable in ensuring that teachers attend to students with respect and care?
- How might you share this protocol AND enact it with your host teacher? What problems might you encounter? How might you respond to criticism of this protocol or its steps?
We invite you to enter these conversations with your own takes and your own examples that have been most meaningful in your experience. Include reactions, wonderings, questions, confusions, connections, and surprises. Write as many comments as you can, and reply to other readers as well!
Examples of Comments on The Descriptive Review of A Child
How to do this, step-by-step:
Annotation means adding notes to the text (or image or video) about things you think and care about as you read (or watch). You can make notes as you read. You can show your thinking. You can “talk back” to the text or video. You can highlight important words or ideas. (Special bonus: You do not need to use full sentences or worry about grammar.)
Join and start a lot of conversations.
NowComment is free. Take 60 seconds to get an account now. Click here: Sign up. OR Log in (or Sign in with Google) if you already have an account.
If you are new to NowComment, check out these NowComment Basics.
Watch this video for help with making text comments
Reflecting on the Habits of Mind
When you finish annotating The Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol and replying to other readers, write a status update on your Youth Voices wall. Reflect on how you used one or two of these Habits of Mind.
[2 of 4] Read and Annotate Examples of Descriptive Review
We invite you to notice and note how the Descriptive Review of A Child protocol is applied in several examples.
On NowComment, you will read several examples of child profiles and comment on what stands out to you about both the learner and the way that the descriptive review of the learner was composed.
What we are inviting you to make:
When you are done with this activity, you will have read and reflected on several examples of Descriptive Reviews in this NowComment collection.
Examples of Descriptive Reviews
There are more examples in the collection that you can comment on.
- Jacob (Age 6)
- Amy (Age 7)
- Jane (Age 10)
- George (9th grader, retained two times)
- Tiffany (Age 16, 7th grader)
- Nora (10th grader)
- Renee (Overaged 8th grader)
- Cris (11th grader)
- Curtis (12th grader)
We invite you to enter conversations with your colleagues to explore the learner and how the educator used the Descriptive Review of a Child protocol to craft their narrative. Include reactions, wonderings, questions, confusions, connections, and surprises. Write as many comments as you can, and reply to other readers as well!
Examples of Comments on Descriptive Reviews
How to do this, step-by-step:
Annotation means adding notes to the text (or image or video) about things you think and care about as you read (or watch). You can make notes as you read. You can show your thinking. You can “talk back” to the text or video. You can highlight important words or ideas. (Special bonus: You do not need to use full sentences or worry about grammar.)
Join and start a lot of conversations.
NowComment is free. Take 60 seconds to get an account now. Click here: Sign up. OR Log in (or Sign in with Google) if you already have an account.
If you are new to NowComment, check out these NowComment Basics.
Reflecting on the Habits of Mind
When you finish annotating the examples of the Descriptive Review of a Child protocol and replying to other readers, write a status update on your Youth Voices wall. Reflect on how you used one or two of these Habits of Mind.
[3 of 4] Write a Descriptive Review of a Child
We invite you to describe a student — an actual student or one you create — who you might encounter in a future class.
In a Youth Voices Doc write a portrait of a youth, making up details about how they interact with the texts, languages, and problems of your discipline.
What we are inviting you to make:
When you are done with this activity, you will have crafted a narrative on a learner using the Descriptive Review of a Child Protocol.
Consider using Carini’s prompts in each of these four categories to give you ideas for writing your portrait:
- Physical Presence and Gesture
- Relationships with Children and Adults
- Activities and Interests
- Formal Learning
Additional questions to ask while you compose your Descriptive Review of a Child:
- What existing knowledges, skills, and interests does the learner bring to the classroom?
- How might the learner’s experiences affect the ways that they interact with material in your discipline (math, science, etc.)?
How to do this, step-by-step:
- Spend some time brainstorming ideas before you begin to compose.
- On the Youth Voices home page, click on Member’s Wall.
- When you arrive at your wall, click on Docs. It is a tab located under your cover photo and avatar.
- Click on Create a New Doc.
- Title your Doc – Description of a Child
- Begin to draft your Descriptive Review in the Content Section.
- After you draft, spend time revising.
- After you revise, edit your piece for conventions, spelling, and punctuation.
- When you are satisfied with your Descriptive Review, publish your Descriptive Review as a Discussion Post on Youth Voices. Here’s How to Post on Youth Voices. Be sure to check next to the “Description of a Child” Category.
Watch this video To Learn The Parts of the Writing Process
Reflecting on the Habits of Mind
When you finish writing your Descriptive Review, write a status update on your Youth Voices wall. Reflect on how you used one or two of these Habits of Mind.
[4 of 4] Read and Write Comments About Other Descriptive Reviews on Youth Voices.
We invite you to explore Descriptive Reviews by your peers that are published on Youth Voices and to respond with your insights and thoughts.
Using Youth Voices Guides, elaborate and expand on your ideas using a structure that feels comfortable to you.
What we are inviting you to make:
When you are done with this activity, you will have remarked on at least two of your peers’ Descriptive Reviews using the comments feature on Youth Voices. Additionally, you will receive feedback on your work!
While you are doing this activity, you will use the Youth Voices Guide: General Response to support your structured responses. Youth Voices guides included sentence stems that are organized into framed paragraphs. Framed paragraphs offer structure and cohesiveness to writers in a variety of ways.
Today, you will use the Youth Voices Guide: General Response to respond to your peers’ Descriptive Reviews.
How to do this, step-by-step:
- On the Youth Voices home page, click on the rectangular box in the upper left hand corner titled “Select Category.”
- Select a “Description of a Child” post from a member of our community.
- Read through their response.
- On the Youth Voices homepage, hover over the word Guides. A drop-down menu will appear.
- Click on Commenting. A new tab will open.
- Select the General Response Guide. A new tab will open.
- Copy the guide. Go to the black toolbar at the top and make your own copy of this template. Log in and click “Copy to a new draft” in the black toolbar at the top. Publish your draft right away, then edit it.
- Return to the post of the “Description of a Child” that you will comment on.
- Paste the guide into the rectangular text box underneath the Descriptive Review. There will also be a picture of your avatar.
- Begin to write your response using the guide.
- The text in black is the frame. Leave that part but feel free to add on and revise to support your response.
- The text in red and between brackets is to guide you in how to respond. This will be erased when you are ready to write.
- Consider using the edit box at the bottom of the commenting section to change the font color of the entire comment when you are finished
- Click Post Comment when you are ready to submit.
Watch this video for help with…
Click to see Comment as Genre on YouTube.
Reflecting on the Habits of Mind
When you finish commenting on the Descriptive Review that a colleague has posted on Youth Voices, write a status update on your Youth Voices wall. Reflect on how you used one or two of these Habits of Mind.
Bookmark and Reflect on the Habits of Mind You Used While Completing All the Activities in this Playlist.
Go to your the the activity stream on your Youth Voices wall and bookmark two or three of the Habits of Mind reflections that you wrote at the end of each activity. Once bookmarked, add a comment to each earlier update post saying why this was a meaningful experience for you.
