Comparison

There is a clear difference in ability when comes to the reading level of these two lessons. It is expected that the high school students would be at a higher reading level, so I felt that the Valley of the Shadow Archive project providing material at a more mature reading level in terms of vocabulary and content. The Writers Project archive contains slightly less complicated vocabulary making it easier for a midle school student to navigate.

The final project for both of these shows a difference in the maturation of each grade level. The final product of an interview for the 8th graders was structured and specific in what was expected for the final outcome (which they crave!). The high school final project of debate allowed for much more freedom. The students will ultimately decide on the direction of the debate and how it will conclude. The teacher will act more as a facilitator for this project. It's an assumption that the high school students have the majority to have the independence to make the project successful.

The information standard I addressed for these lessons was: Standard 2: Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

Although both grade levels will draw conclusions and make informed decisions, it is more likely to happen with less instructor interaction on the high school level. On both levels, the new knowledge created will come from classmate insights and from their own personal research which would be fun to see.