Unconventional projects for unconventional assessment

I think that the beauty of teaching literature is that there is no 'right or wrong' answer in the conventional sense. As such, what this means for Literature teachers is that we can assign fun and exciting projects for the students complete as part of their assessment instead of usual tests.

Here are some ways students and teachers can have fun through alternative assessments.

Poetry
After completing a lesson series on poetry, the teacher can assign a poetry writing assignment in which students are asked to create a poem parody of a famous celebrity or social issue specifically geared towards evoking humorous effect. Advanced students may be given free reign for this assignment but for students who need more help, the teacher may scaffold by limiting certain poetic qualities. For instance, students could be asked to write about how much they hate/love a certain celebrity eg. justin bieber in iambic pentameter. This allows the teacher to assess the students' understanding of poetic devices while removing the barrier of complex (and sometimes mundane) subject matter. When studying poetry, especially classic forms, most students find it hard to engage with the old-school themes (think Ozymandias, the old battered statue warning of the impermanence of fame) that drives the poem. Therefore, by mkaing the students interact with a contemporary and relatable subject matter

Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Teachers may also take a leaf out of Shakepeare's book by asking students to write love poems. The love poem however, will be dedicated to an object rather than a person and it is to be written in sonnet form. This assignment offers students a refreshing view when it comes to dealing with sonnets and because there is unexpected twist in the subject matter. To make things more interesting, the teacher may specify that the (literal and metaphorical) object of affection may only be revealed in the concluding couplet.  Like the above, the theme of the expected poem has been simplified enough to ensure accessibility and suitability to most if not all students. As such, students are once again empowered to experiment with other literary devices and the sonnet form.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to alternative assessment of literature. For many more interesting ideas, please refer to the link below to find other examples of such innovative projects:
http://www.teachhub.com/creative-literature-projects-students-love