On Thursday I gave my students the assignment to create a dialogue between two people. They were able to choose their own partners, and after lecturing them on how to "properly choose a partner...not just your best friend," I'd have to say they did a pretty good job.

This was their first BIG project, and it is kind of scary to see what they come up with. Most of you are thinking....PROJECTS....cool, I love projects! But I've found out that if you don't set high standards and expectations from the beginning, things just get worse and worse as the year progresses.

Anyway, the students had about 15 minutes at the end of class on Thursday to begin their "creative thinking." On Friday, they had to present. After all kinds of mean looks, questions of my sanity, "are you serious"-type faces, and many many MANY excuses...they completed the task.

Yesterday after school, I was on cloud nine. They were the best projects ever! My students are very creative this year, and even though they only have a handful of words in their banks of vocabulary, they found a way to make it work. The rule of thumb is..."If you don't know how to say it...either find another way to say it, or don't say it at all!" Most students find this rule very cruel and hard to live with. But that's ok...they learn so much more when they use what they know, and are forced to "make it work" with the little they have been given.