Sometimes to understand a concept fully, students need to research and learn about the concept outside of the classroom discussion. This I’ve learned with Tuesdays with Morrie and his condition ALS [Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis].
When we started discussing the novel, we talked about ALS, about the Ice Bucket Challenge, and even watched a short clip on someone struggling with ALS [To see that lesson, click here]. However, even with that previous knowledge, I realized my students didn’t know what ALS was like.
So, I created an interactive ALS Web Quest for them: using the internet they had to research what ALS was like, the causes, symptoms, treatments, and progression and we would talk about it the following day in class.
I posted the assignment online through our Google Classroom; I also provided paper copies. My goal was to make sure my students looked into ALS to see how the condition really effected main character, Morrie Schwartz.
I felt that doing this reached out to global issues and brought the text into the light a little more–making their learning more connected and meaningful in their personal lives.