Compose Our World

Alison G. Boardman is an associate professor in equity, bilingualism, and biliteracy in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder. Antero Garcia is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Bridget Dalton is an associate professor in literacy studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Joseph L. Polman is a professor of learning sciences and associate dean for research in the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder.

• Contents (Tentative)Foreword Richard BeachAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Introducing Compose Our World and the Pedagogical Possibilities of Project-Based Learning in English Language ArtsProject-Based Learning in English Language ArtsCompose Our World ELA-PBL Design PrinciplesTransforming Teachers by Shifting CurriculumA Set of Curriculum Resources Based on the ELA-PBL Design PrinciplesHow to Use This BookComposing the FuturePART I: INTRODUCING THE COMPOSE OUR WORLD ELA-PBL DESIGN PRINCIPLES1.;Authentic Making in English Language ArtsPBL in ELA as Authentic MakingAuthentic Making in ActionFinal Thoughts2.;Learning and Engagement in CollaborationWhat Is the Purpose of Collaboration?How Do I Teach Collaboration?What Structures Can I Use to Facilitate Productive and Equitable Collaboration?Final Thoughts3.;The Iterative Project Design CycleWhat Is the Iterative Project Design Cycle?The Lifecycle of a ProjectThe Iterative Design Cycle in Action: The Throughlines ProjectFinal Thoughts About Iterative Design4.;Attending to Teacher and Student Emotions and CareWhy Is There SEL in My ELA-PBL?From SEL to CAPECaringAdvocacyEmpathy and Perspective-TakingBringing CAPE Into Your ClassroomFinal Thoughts5.;Strengthening PBL Through Universal Design for Learning and MultimodalityUnpacking UDL: What Is It and Why Does It Matter in ELA-PBL?Reinventing Romeo and Juliet in an English, Theater Arts, and Science Interdisciplinary PBL ProjectMultimodality and Digital Tools in an ELA Storytelling ProjectFinal ThoughtsPART II: PUTTING ELA-PBL INTO PRACTICE6.;Building an ELA-PBL ClassroomMs. Mattern’s Classroom: Where English Language Arts Becomes Project-BasedIntegrating Text Into ELA-PBLIncorporating ELA Skills Into PBLBecoming an ELA-PBL TeacherFinal Thoughts7.;Making Assessment Work in ELA-PBLAssessment in English Language Arts Project-Based LearningELA-PBL Assessment: Principles and PracticesFinal Thoughts8.;Building a PBL Educator CommunityWhat Is at the Center of PBL Educator Communities?Our Version of Professional Learning CommunitiesPrinciples for Designing CommunityWhat Structures Support Your PBL Community?Designing Possible Futures for Our Classrooms, TogetherStay Playful9.;ConclusionBe Flexible, but Stay Focused on Your PurposeMaintain Vulnerability, but Ensure Safety and WholenessWhat Does It Really Mean to Be an ELA-PBL Teacher?Embrace the Minimum Viable PBL PracticeSupport Students in Their Shift to PBL LearningThe Possibilities for ELA-PBL in a Changing WorldAppendix A: Compose Our World Design PrinciplesAppendix B: Compose Our World 9th-Grade ELA Project OverviewsAppendix C: Criteria ProtocolAppendix D: Educator Check-in SurveyReferencesIndexAbout the Authors

“ Compose Our World offers English teachers welcome hope in these difficult times. In its pages, we see students—and teachers—whose experiences in school have been transformed by a turn toward meaningful projects they design and work through themselves, projects that can even change their communities for the better. And although these projects are not made primarily for a grade, the authors describe how students can be brought in on generating the specific criteria used for assessment. The work certainly fulfills state standards, but it goes far beyond them. This important book, which should be read by all high school English teachers, is both inspiring and practical. It shows that positive change in education is possible, provides practical guides to that change, and features exciting projects students made as they became agents for composing their world.”—Teachers College Record