Freshman English Class, Worth Remembering?

So, it's been a while. Homecoming faded away, teaching went back to normal (at least as normal as it gets), and even the limerick war died out. In an effort to keep things interesting, I run a mock trial based on James Hursts's "The Scarlet Ibis." It's a really beautiful story and while not all of the students "get" it, they do get into arguing about whether the main character is guilty of anything or not. It always seems to go better than I expect. I have so many rowdies that it seems like turning them loose on an assignment like this is just asking for trouble. However, for the most part, they seem to enjoy the diversion and they really do get to know the story. So, ultimately, it works.

Now we move on to their writing skills. It's a whole extra set of frustrations, but it's also a chance for so many wonderful tributes that students can write and keep for themselves forever. I honestly believe that if they do their best on this assignment, it doesn't matter so much what grade they get as the memory they preserve. Students sometimes write wonderful things that might otherwise remain unsaid. Those are the times when they need to express themselves with words that will live on long after their freshman English class is over. I give them an example about my grandfather complete with a song I wrote. Sometimes the effect is magical. Sometimes not, but it is worth a try. If it's memorable enough, they'll take something with them.