Lists

I heard one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard today on NPR's This American Life. It was the episode from December 31, 2010 and is called "Say Anything." In Act 2 of this episode an actor reads an except from a book, which is just a list of the author's fears. I don't know what it was about the reading, but it was beautiful.

So here's my idea:

Spend a week or two on lists. The lists don't have to grammatical. They can be short, long, skinny, wide. They can be about anything. Reasons why you love Provo, fears, joys, friends, favorite colors. Whatever.

Practice writing lists by giving students a few example topics with time limits. For example, 30 seconds to make a list of their favorite vacation spots. Share these with their partners. 1 minute to make a list of their least favorite school assignments. Share these with their partners. 45 seconds to make a list of their favorite dates. Share. Possibly a few more. Have them expand their lists or make new ones. Share. Now change their list, make it shorter, make it longer, switch up the grammar, whatever. Make their final list.

Now tech savvy students can record their lists focusing on their performance--voice, intonation, rhythme, timing--all those things that make people interesting to listen to. Perhaps a students may want to add sound or music, but this is an entirely oral assignment. For the rest of us, perform like the beatniks--just a stool. Encourage these students to also bring music or sound to supplement their readings.