Mentor Text: McSweeney’s Bingo Cards by various
Techniques:
- Brainstorming and Idea Generation
- Analytical writing
Background –
So, I often take a quick social media brain break at lunch. And today, after discussing the initial planning stages of some essay work with two of my classes, McSweeney’s sharing the “NIMBY Public Comment Bingo” card got me thinking a little bit.
How we might use this text:
Brainstorming and Idea Generation – I’ve largely moved away from assigning essays with a very specific focus. I prefer to allow my students to chase down the things in our work that intrigue them. Sometimes, we’re addressing a very broad question, but often, we’ve got the freedom to explore a theme or topic through some aspect of it that pulls at us.
Which presents challenges for some writers when we’re in the initial stages, figuring out that focus. There are a lot of ideas.
Which is where I see these bingo cards coming in handy. If a student sits down to fill in a bingo card, they’ve got a nice graphic organizer for a brainstorm. I know that the blank page for a brainstorm is daunting for some, but a series of tiny boxes might be less so. And perhaps, like good idea generation and brainstorming, creating these bingo cards could be collaborative.
This organizational conceit, I believe, offers a level of order that a more “free” brainstorm might not, and I know that there are students who need their chaos of thoughts presented more in a more orderly fashion. They can mark the items, or ideas, that will show up in their essays, with their plan being the bingo!
Analytical Writing – Filling a bingo card means coming up with material to fit 25 tiny boxes. If a student is exploring a topic or theme, 25 things about that topic or theme is a lot of things. Although it may not be an exhaustive piece of writing in terms of explanation and expansion of ideas, a bingo card could be exhaustive in exploring elements of the subject the card is focused upon.
As well, I like the challenge that expressing an idea briefly enough to fit in a square on the bingo card may present for some of our students.
I think the fact that talking about a “bingo card” has become ubiquitous in our discourse these days makes this a relevant text. Also, I’m cracking up in full dad mode over here imagining the discussions. “Well, I didn’t have that on my bingo card.”
What fun strategies do you have for brainstorming and idea generation? What are some unique ways you get students to analyze things? Did you have a bingo card mentor text on your bingo card?
Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter @doodlinmunkyboy!
moving writers 