Business+Cards


 =Strategy Name: Business Cards =

Strategy Description:
Business cards is a strategy that invites students to succinctly present a person/character that they have read about with text and images.

Course Description:

 * Applied Communications is a 9-week course that promotes reading and writing.
 * 5 classes of 28-30 students.
 * Classes include general education students, special education students, instructional learning disabled students, gifted, and ELLs.
 * This strategy would work with any content area class. Social studies can do historical figures, science can do scientists, animals, or plants; and math can do geometrical shapes or any relevant vocabulary—the business cards don’t just have to be for people.

Rationale:

 * Students only have to fill a business card? Yahoo!
 * Students will need to think symbolically—an important skill for middle schoolers as they approach high school English classes and the never ending literature analysis.
 * Students will need to focus on important/powerful/strong words—an important writing skill.
 * Strategy uses higher order thinking skills.
 * No boring character sketches.
 * Strategy allows for creativity as students __analyze__ what they know about a character and __apply__ it to find a font, style, and images to express the character.
 * It’s fun.

Diverse Learners:

 * Short amount of writing supports special education students.
 * Visual component to the cards.
 * This strategy allows gifted learners to go beyond.
 * The strategy is visual and oral as the teacher models.

Procedure:
What are the important characteristics of a tagline or description of a business or professional? What do the words in the tagline on the sample card tell you about the character? What details make sense for the character? Is there an address? Would phone or e-mail information make sense? What products and/or services can you associate with the character or author? What typeface best fits the character or author? How large should it be? What colors belong on the business card? How do the colors relate to the other elements of the card? What kind of a logo would best represent the character or author and why? How do the symbols on the business card relate to the text? What ideas might you keep in mind as you choose clip art?
 * 1) Have students bring in as many business card examples as they can—start this a week or so in advance.
 * 2) Share copies of example business cards on the smart board (using link that is included).
 * 3) Share planning sheet and rubric with students.
 * 4) Ask student to think about questions provided in the readwritethink lesson plan:
 * 1) Using the computer lab, students can create business cards for their assigned activist.
 * 2) Students print and cut their cards.
 * 3) At the activist tea party, the students can exchange business cards as they “meet” one another.

Potential Issues:

 * Some students lack proficiency with Microsoft Word and will struggle using the template.
 * Students will not think deeply about words and images to put on the cards.

References/Materials :
also referenced at [] ** In binder: ** copy of readwritethink lesson plan ||
 * **Strategy from:** originally seen done by my friend and teaching partner, Lynne Feinberg