Dear Saul,

     You wouldn't believe what John Smith did in his English class today!  He's teaching Orwell's 1984, but is having his students perform podcasts (personal on demand broadcasts) to develop their understanding of the text.  Often, these are in "serialized episodes," but in this case, the students are creating their own audio performances of creative writing projects.  They are presenting how Winston and Julia could have ended up in an alternative ending, what Julia was experiencing at the end of the novel, or the conversations of the higher authorities of Big Brother during various parts of the novel.  Really, the students can use whatever creative liberty they want to create a new script which they present in audio format. 

     I know what you're thinking, Saul.  You probably think it's a great idea!  You don't have to tell me!  You'd probably tell me that it creates a great opportunity for a "community of learners" and that it "makes the story real."  And John always tells me that it helps the ELLs in their fluency and reading abilities. 

     BUT, are they really learning the importance of grammar and sentence structure and good writing format?  I mean, they are using creativity, but they are not learning to write!  How are they ever going to pass the writing passages of the standardized tests if they haven't adequately learned to write well?

     Oh, I know what you'd say, Saul.  You'd say that I should have them turn in a written and spoken portion for this assignment. 

     BUT, do I want to waste all that precious time allowing for them to plan for a creative assignment, when I should be pushing for grammatical accuracy?  How will they ever learn to write, when they are too busy getting distracted by their own imaginations?

                                                                                                         Much love,
                                                                                                                 Sara