Intentional Creativity

In this blog post, we will explore one of the best practices from Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder's Intention: Critical Creativity in the Classroom. However, there are a bank of creative assignments that evoke critical thinking. But the even more beautiful thing is how any of these can be modified.

Emoji Story

In this critical thinking assignment, students select emojis that represent parts of the story.

Modification

I modified this slightly by having students write a summary sentence. Students can just use the pictures or a statement can be added. Either way, when I made the example I really analyzed and thought critically about just the right icons and their sequence.

Another Modification

This can also work for making a claim. Students would identify emojis that suggest a claim.

Another Tip

Codemoji.org has a bank of emojis to copy and paste but an even more students can type a statement, select an emoji to create a cipher. Then others can choose an emoji that matches the claim to decode it. The variations are endless.

The point is students have to be intentional and thoughtful about choosing just the right emoji, similar to word choice diction.

This will no doubt be a class favorite and completely engage your learners.

I love when popular culture meets the classroom and when we can relate real world applications to the classroom. Have students make something meaningful today!