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Curriculum-Based Acceleration Project: Rationale
I’ve had fun thinking of possibilities for an English 95 course. For this project,
I’ve chosen the theme “Struggle and Success.” I may or may not do this particular theme
when I teach my own Accelerated course, but I am passionate about it. The three booklength works I have chosen are Drive by Daniel Pink, Supersurvivors: The Surprising
Link Between Suffering and Success by David Feldman and Lee Daniel Kravetz, and My
Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor.
Drive is focused on the seemingly subversive idea that extrinsic motivators (or
carrots and sticks, as Pink calls them) do not work in the long term and that we need to be
intrinsically motivated to do the kinds of creative and self-directed tasks that our 21stcentury work environment demands. I read this book a year ago, and I didn’t realize that
it was one of Katie Hern’s picks until talking with the Acceleration team about it! I’m
choosing this book for my sample unit because I often use extrinsic motivators for
students, perhaps because I assume (wrongly?) that they won’t complete the course
requirements otherwise. I’d like to explore how to motivate differently, and I’d like my
students’ help with this. When my students tell me why they are in college, they often tell
me it’s because of the financial payoff, which I totally get. However, I wonder if they
will re-envision their motivation for college in light of Pink’s ideas. Thus, I think this
book has a lot of implications for college success. I also think it will be a little easier to
build on the things that C.A.P. has created around this book and make them my own for
this project.
Supersurvivors just came out last month. I’m reading it right now, and I like it!
I’m very interested in habits of mind (I joined the 3SCN Growth Mindset community of
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practice for Fall 2015!) and resiliency studies. I know “grit” is a buzzword in education
right now, but I think it’s for a good reason. I truly believe teaching to the affective
domain is just as important as teaching our discipline-specific content. When students
don’t pass my classes, it’s not usually because they haven’t developed the reading and
writing skills—it’s that other challenges have gotten in the way. Life can be so difficult,
and many students face numerous challenges and trauma (homelessness, violence,
racism, poverty, illness, etc.) throughout their lives and during my time with them over
the course of the semester. Research that shows that people sometimes don’t just
survive—but they can actually thrive—in the face of trauma can be an empowering
message, and I want to explore these ideas with students. Last, Sotomayor’s memoir
about growing up in public housing in the Bronx and her journey to the Supreme Court is
truly inspiring. In addition, many students aren’t particularly politically engaged (and
may not know who our justices are), so I like this book for this reason as well.
This unit I’ve included is the first unit of the semester, and I decided to start with
Drive because I think it sends the message that the reading schedule will be challenging
and that the material will be meaningful and applicable to our own lives.
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Day 1
Day 1: Introduction to the Course/Acceleration
Introduction to
the course
1. Classroom Logistics
 Attendance and adding
 Teacher introducers herself, the course, and a bit about why
she is excited to teach this class and work with these
students.
Building
community
2. Icebreaker (Community Building—Why are we here?)
Teacher puts students into groups of three and asks them to
introduce themselves. Each individual must answer the following
questions:
1.) Why they are in English 95 (as opposed to English 70 or 90)?
2.) Their feelings about reading and writing, e.g. Reading/writing is
great because ________. Reading/writing is okay because
________. I dislike reading/writing because _________.
 Share With Class
Each group’s speaker introduces their group members
by name and goes over the groups’ responses. Teacher
writes similarities and themes on board for each group.
Students will hear that other students have struggled
with reading and writing in the past as well. Creating a
safe space to discuss challenges is an important outcome
of this activity.
What is
Acceleration?
3. Introduction to Course: Lecture
What is English 95, and what should we expect to do? How do we
get there? Teacher briefly explains Acceleration principles,
challenges, and benefits to get student buy-in. Students should
understand that this is a special course!
Understanding
course
expectations
4. Syllabus Stations
In groups of six, students move through 5 stations throughout the
room. Each station has a specific question about the syllabus on it
(attendance policy, plagiarism, etc.) Students should find the
relevant information in the syllabus and discuss and take notes on
each station’s question. The teacher will be at the final station to
answer any questions students have and to begin learning names.
After they have completed all the stations, students will have a
better understanding of the syllabus.
Syllabus
Stations:
studentcentered
learning
5. Wrap-Up
Any additional questions about the syllabus or course?
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6. Homework:
Read and annotate Mike Rose’s “I Just Wanna Be Average.”
Teacher provides hard copies for the students. Students should buy
Drive and bring it to class next time.
In groups o,
Day 2
Day 2: “Students float to the mark that you set”-Mike Rose—or
why sticks and carrots don’t work
Introduction to
key concepts
on motivation
and success
1. Classroom Logistics
Teacher takes role and students play the “name game,” in which
they go around in a circle and try to remember every student’s
name.
Application: “I
Just Wanna Be
Average” by
Mike Rose
2. Quickwrite (10 mins)
Why does Ken Harvey, Mike Rose’s classmate state that he just
wants to be average? How does Rose explain Ken’s defense
mechanism? Do you understand or relate to this perspective?
Prereading for
Drive
3. Small-Group/Full-Class Discussion
 Why does Rose end up on the vocational track? What does
it do to “track” students—especially early on in their
educations?
 Why does Rose say the vocational track is a “dumping
ground?” What kinds of racist or classist implications are in
that language?
 What/who changes Rose’s life and why?
 When Rose becomes Mr. McFarland’s student, he begins to
view himself as an intellectual. Why is this significant? Do
you view yourself as an intellectual? Why or why not, and
what would change if you did?
4. Prereading for Drive
 Who is Daniel Pink?
 According to the book jacket and book reviews, what is this
book about?
 How would you describe the writing style of the book?
Have you read anything like this before?
 What are your anticipated challenges in reading the first 67
pages (Ch. 1-2), and how will you get through these
challenges?
Teacher gives out reading grid for students to fill out for Ch. 12 at home.
5. Homework: Read Ch. 1-2 of Drive and fill out the reading grid
before the next class period.
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fdf ay 2: “Studen
Week 2: Day 3 f
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation—Application: Paragraphing
1. Quickwrite/Mini-quiz (10 minutes):
What is the Sawyer effect? Describe the phenomenon and how it
relates to motivation. Can you think of an example of the Sawyer
effect in your own life?
Group activity:
Close reading
and evidence
2. Text-based Group Activity: Quotes and Claims
Students get in groups of 4, and each group gets one question. One
student is the discussion leader. Students find textual evidence to
answer their questions and write their quotes on large post it notes
throughout the room.
Questions:
 What are Motivation 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0?
 How have economists miscalculated human motivations?
 How do incentives kill creativity?
 How is Motivation 2.0 connected to ethics and addiction?
 Are there some circumstances in which sticks and carrots
can work? Explain.
Writing
strategy:
paragraph
development
3. Mini-Lecture and Activity: Paragraph Development
Teacher gives a 10-minute mini-lecture on P.I.E. paragraph
development (point, information, explanation).
Students develop a claim based on their group’s question and use
evidence from the quotes they chose in the previous activity. Each
individual student develops a P.I.E. paragraph. We discuss the
paragraphs and the challenges of writing good analysis.
4. Wrap-Up
What were two important takeaways from today’s class?
5. Homework
Read Ch. 3-4 and complete reading grid before the next class
period.
Day 4
Autonomy: Self-Directed Reading and Success Teams
Critical
reading:
Acceleration
reading quiz
1. First Major Reading Quiz: Ch. 3-4
Students take in-depth reading quiz using their grids and books.
Sample questions:
 In your own words, paraphrase Type I and Type X behavior
(from Ch. 3).
 In your own words, summarize three pieces of evidence
supporting the benefits of autonomy (from Ch. 4).
 How does Pink scaffold and develop his ideas from section
one through section two of Drive?
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Metacognitive
reflection
2. All-Class Discussion
 How did the quiz go? Were you prepared? If not, how can
you adjust your reading and annotating to better prepare
and to increase your reading comprehension?
 Chapter 4 is about the idea of autonomy. To be
autonomous, you need to be self-directed, and you need to
be able to control what you do, when you do it, how you do
it, and with whom.
Application
3. Think, Pair-Share
Based on Pink’s definition, have your own educational experiences
been autonomous? Why or why not? If they were, what would
change? How can we meet the SLOs of English 95 autonomously
AND collaboratively?
Building
community:
success teams
4. Success Team Questionnaire
Teacher discusses the role of success teams in English 95. Students
fill out success team questionnaire that asks students about goals,
preferences for working with others, and learning styles. Teacher
collects questionnaires and places students into success teams
based on this feedback.
5. Homework
Read Ch. 5 and take notes. No reading grid provided this time.
Give students prompt for Paper #1 to read at home. Students will
bring questions about the prompt to class next week.
Week 3: Day 5
Mastery: When does writing “flow?”
Building
community:
success teams
1. Success Teams
Students briefly meet with teacher-assigned success teams to share
goals and exchange information. Students decide how they will
support each other and keep each other accountable throughout the
semester in English 95.
Low-stakes
reflective
writing
2. Non-Graded “Diagnostic Essay”: Personal Narrative (45
minutes)
Prompt: In Chapter 5, Pink describes mastery as beginning with
“flow”—optimal experiences when the challenges we face are
exquisitely matched to our abilities. Describe a time in your life
when you’ve achieved this “flow.” Analyze why this is an example
of mastery.
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Sharing and
responding
3. Pair-Share
These stories can be powerful, so students will read their stories
aloud to a partner in their success teams. In reading their papers
aloud, they are encouraged to self-edit and listen to the “flow” of
their own sentences. We often share writing in evaluative settings,
so I think it’s equally important to share writing in non-evaluative
settings too.
Prewriting
4. Questions and Brainstorming for Paper #1
Teacher answers any student questions about the prompt and
clarifies writing expectations. Students complete a ten minute
“loop writing” activity (from Peter Elbow) in which they freewrite
about their ideas and summarize the main points of their freewrites.
5. Homework: Finish Drive
Read Ch. 6 and finish Drive.
Day 6
Taking Action: Wrap-Up of Drive
Critical
reading:
Acceration
reading quiz
1.
Second Major Reading Quiz, Ch. 6
Students take in-depth reading quiz using their notes and books.
Sample questions:
 Why does Pink claim that we should take time out for
noncommissioned work? Explain. How can you do this at
LMC?
 In your own words, summarize Pink’s ten ideas for parents
and educators. How can we apply these ideas to our own
educations/the English 95 classroom?
 Choose one of the conversation starters on pg. 227 and
answer in an 8-10 sentence paragraph.
Application
2.
Drive Action Plan
In pairs, students fill out an action plan grid with observable
actions and deadlines, applying Pink’s theories to a non-academic
part of their lives. They can apply Pink’s ideas for persuading
one’s boss on pg. 176 or for devising a fitness plan on pg. 216, for
example. Do students think Pink’s ideas are achievable? Do they
offer any revisions or other suggestions?
3.
Open-Ended Wrap-Up Discussion
Students and teacher discuss thoughts and reflections on the end of
the book.
4.
More Brainstorming for Paper #1: Claim, Comment, Question
Students are given time to write working thesis statements. In
small groups of five-six, students read their claims aloud. For each
Prewriting
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claim, peers write a comment or a question about the thesis on a
piece of paper and pass them to the writer. The purpose is to
encourage the writer to think more deeply about the thesis and
narrow the paper’s focus.
5.
Homework
Students work on rough draft of Paper #1 and bring it for the
Writers’ Workshop next class.
Week 4: Day 7
Feedback on Paper #1
Feedback
1. Writers’ Workshop: Paper #1
Writers’ Workshop: First Draft Due. Attendance is mandatory.
Students will bring two copies of rough drafts: one for the
workshop and one for the teacher. To receive credit, a student’s
draft should be 3-4 pages long. Students work in success teams to
complete instructor created workshop script. Student drafts receive
feedback from two peers.
Day 8
Feedback on Paper #1
Feedback
1. Small-Group Conferences for Paper #1
Success teams meet with instructor for written and verbal feedback
from the instructor on their rough drafts.
2. Homework
Second draft of Paper #2 due next week.
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Curriculum-Based Acceleration Project: Reflection
I enjoyed doing this project, and it made me anxious to teach the course! I do
think that the curriculum will be very challenging—both for the students and me because
the reading load is so fast-paced and intense, and I’m asking a lot of the students. I
always try to create challenging courses, but probably not to this extent. Because of the
course’s level of difficulty, I actually think that Drive is the perfect text because it asks
the reader to meet challenges differently and to really explore personal motivation. In this
way, my theme, “Struggles and Success,” is fairly meta because it’s asking students to
grapple and struggle as we focus on the nature of struggle. I like it!
In Drive, Pink talks about “Goldilocks tasks”—tasks that are challenging, but
manageable. I think this might be my primary question in an Accelerated course. How
can I challenge students without frustrating them to a point that is counterproductive?
How do I set the bar high, while providing necessary support and scaffolding along the
way?
I do think that these Acceleration concepts and mindsets can be applied to any
course, and they should be. When I learned about Acceleration for the first time a few
years ago, I thought, “Well, that seems to be good pedagogy for any type of teaching. It
just makes sense with what I know and believe.” I guess I was still a new enough teacher
that I didn’t have fully-formed or preconceived notions of what developmental writing
should be. As we expand our English 95 offerings, I think we will also need to rethink
our texts and approaches in English 70, 90, and 100. I’m teaching English 70 next
semester, and I’m not going to be satisfied to ask my students to write 2-3 page papers
and summaries all semester long. I know they can do more than this if I ask them to, and I
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know they will need to do more soon. I had a student in English 100 this semester who
was in English 95 last semester, and she told me she read as much and sometimes more in
95. I don’t teach an easy English 100 course either, and my students were usually reading
40+ pages per class period! We can’t pitch a 95 course that’s higher than 100, right? In
addition, I’m convinced that teaching full-length works is more meaningful for
instructors and students. One really feels a sense of mastery in this. More than our
COORs, perhaps we need to re-envision our reading lists—especially for English 100.
While I like Rereading America, I would love to have the freedom to teach book-length
works. I think this is pedagogically sound, and perhaps we need to open up a
conversation about this in the department—at least so that instructors can do either
anthologies/readers or book-length works.
I enjoyed working with the Acceleration team this semester and making time to
talk about teaching and learning. It’s so important, and I look forward to continuing these
conversations and this work with you. Thank you for the opportunity!
-Jill