Multiple
Intelligence Projects:
Multiple
Intelligence theory is based of the work of Howard Gardner at Harvard.
The thrust of his research shows that people have a variety of intelligence
styles, not just the two that schools focus on (math/language) and that
many students can reach higher degrees of success when they are allowed to
use the intelligence styles in which they excel to show what they've learned.
Verbal/
Linguistic
In
both Starting School with an Enemy and Sarah
and the Naked Truth, Sarah and her friends deal with kids making fun of them.
Write a letter to someone who made fun of you. BUT, don’t give it to them.
Just write down all the things you feel, what you wish you had said, what you
hope they would learn. Let it all out! Then, shred the evidence and toss out
all those bad feelings with it!
Logical/
Mathematical
Compare Starting
School with an Enemy to Sarah and
the Naked Truth using a Venn diagram. List ways that the two books are similar
and how they are different. (hint: consider: characters, plot, theme, setting,
and endings).
Visual/
Spatial
Choose
your favorite scene from either book, then make a new book jacket for the book.
You can use whatever art supplies you want (crayons, markers, paint, even collage)
but be sure to have all the important information included. Don’t forget
to add jacket copy (which briefly tells what the story is about… in your
own words) and get a few quotes from classmates to put on the back of the jacket
too.
Body/Kinesthetic
Soccer
and basketball both play prominent roles in each book. Play each game with a
group of friends (or with your entire class!) and then write about which one
you prefer and why. As a group discuss what types of skills are needed for each
sport, and talk about ways outside of playing the game that you could get better.
(For example, being a long distance runner would help for the stamina needed
in either game).
Musical/
Rhythmic
In
the Sarah and the Naked Truth the
girls go camping. What types of environmental sounds might they hear? What about
when they’re at the ocean in both Starting
School with an Enemy and Sarah and
the Naked Truth? In pairs, take a tape recorder and document the natural
(and maybe unnatural) sounds around your school or home.
Interpersonal
As
a class, discuss ways that teasing and bullies can be dealt with. With the help
of a teacher, create an action plan that students should follow if they are being
picked on. Then, see if Sarah and her friends followed one similar to yours.
Intrapersonal:
When
someone is being picked on, or someone is just being rude, it can be a good idea
for a person to escape within their own imagination so they don’t lash
out and get in trouble too. Pretend that you’re on the school bus, and
some older boys in the back are saying nasty things about you. Pretend you slouch
down in the seat and then start daydreaming about being somewhere else. Where
would you go? What would you be doing? What does it look like, smell like, sound
like? Then, on a small index card, draw a picture of your special place. Keep
it in your book bag or backpack or purse and pull it out if you need it!
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