Thinking+Hard


 * HOME || EDU 607 || My Curricular Connections || My Reflections || Class Collaboration || Resources ||

= **Unit on Narrative Fiction ** =

6/29

Students will create their social network to share with the class all their productions. This will include blogs, in which students will write about their personal memoirs; music that they could relate to the Utopian world in The Giver; photos of role plays performed in class, among others.
 * Ning.com:**

**Standards for Students**
 * As this site has been created for 8th graders who will be going onto high school, this will be an excellent tool for both, teachers and students, to keep in touch and learn about each others experiences.


 * **1.** ||  || **Creativity and Innovation** ||


 * ||  || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

** Standards for Teachers **
**1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity** Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

6/26

Students will choose one of the main characters from the book "The Giver," Jonas or The Giver, and will create a character sketch in the form of a story using Windows Photo Story. They will use pictures and narration to show how the character changes along the story and how those changes impact the development of the story plot.
 * Windows Photo Story:**

**Standards for Students**

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * **1.** || **Creativity and Innovation** ||
 * || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||

**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers: c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. 
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**

6/25

Write a "snapshot" memory that is rich in detail and description. Create a Power Point presentation in which you include pictures that would illustrate your personal memoir. Enhance your presentation by adding your voice narrating your memoir. 
 * MSPower Point**:
 * Standards for Students**

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * **1.** || **Creativity and Innovation** ||
 * || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||

**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers: c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. 
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**

6/24 After reading the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, which basically depicts an Utopian world, working in groups, students will be asked to create their Utopian world. They must take into account all the elements of fiction: the where, when, why, and who of the story. Students will write the script, assign roles to be performed, and create a setting for the video. Once they have to edit the video, they will make sure the sequence of their movie follows the sequence of the book.
 * Windows Movie Maker:**

**Standards for Students**

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * **1.** || **Creativity and Innovation** ||
 * || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||

b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. ||
 * **3.** || **Research and Information Fluency** ||
 * || Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
 * **5.** || **Digital Citizenship** ||
 * || Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: ||
 * a || advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. ||

**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**
 * b. || develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. ||
 * c. || customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. ||

6/23

Students will participate on the teacher's blog page, to discuss issues or concerns regarding fair use and copyright. **Standards for Students**
 * Fair Use and Copyright:**

b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. ||
 * **3.** || **Research and Information Fluency** ||
 * || Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
 * **5.** || **Digital Citizenship** ||
 * || Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: ||
 * a || advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. ||

**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers: c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**



6/22


 * IGoogle:

__The Giver Resource Site__ ** The teacher would create an IGoogle website about the novel The Giver. This website may have book reviews, pictures of performances on the book, educational sites with online quizes on the book, among others.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Students** b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. ||
 * **3.** || **Research and Information Fluency** ||
 * || Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
 * **5.** || **Digital Citizenship** ||
 * || Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: ||
 * a || advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. ||

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**
 * b. || develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. ||
 * c. || customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. ||

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6/19


 * Inspiration:

__Classmate Book Report__ ** The following is an activity I have done using the traditional paper and pencil but I think this could be done using Inspiration: Here is a sample of the story map that could be used to make one in ispiration. <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * Students meet with a partner and share an exciting summer event.
 * The partner records details, using an outline if necessary.
 * Students work in pairs to convert the shared summer events into a story format complete with a setting, characters, and a plot. For fun, allow them to exaggerate.
 * Students write, illustrate, or present their partner’s summer event in the form of a book report as if it were based on a book they read.
 * Standards for Students**

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * **1.** || **Creativity and Innovation** ||
 * || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers: c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: b. collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers: b. address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**

6/18

After explaining how we can usually determine tone in the spoken word, we could move into the written word, pointing out that authors have only written words to indicate their tone, and that we the audience must decipher the author’s attitude through his word choice.
 * Audacity:**
 * __ Using tone of voice to explain author’s tone in literature __**
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Begin with what students know: tone of voice.
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Give students four tone words: // sarcastic, concerned, skeptical //, and // curious //.
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hand each student a piece of paper containing the same sentence; example: “What are you doing?” or “I was looking for you” or something like that.
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Students would choose a tone word and then “perform” their sentence by recording it using Audacity.
 * <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, the rest of the class would guess what tone word fit each “performance.”

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Students**

b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
 * **1.** || **Creativity and Innovation** ||
 * || Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: ||

a. understand and use technology systems.
 * **6.** || **Technology Operations and Concepts** ||
 * || Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students: ||
 * ======<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Teachers** ======

**1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity** Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a. promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. ||

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:
 * 4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility**
 * a. || advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources. ||

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6/17


 * MSPublisher:**

I could use Publisher to have students create a book jacket or a cover for a novel.
 * On the __front of the jacket,__ students must include the title and author of the novel and a design they have created for the novel.
 * On the __back of the jacket,__ students will write __at least four statements__ to entice other students to read this novel. These statements must be done in the form of quotes from four different magazines, newspapers, and/or famous people.
 * On the __inside front cover flap,__ students will write something about the main character(s) that might interest students who are considering reading this novel.
 * On the __inside back cover flap,__ students will list the author’s name and something about his or her, education, where he/she lives, other successful books, etc. They will write this in __their own words__. They might have to do some Internet research.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Students**

a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media. d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
 * **2.** || **Communication and Collaboration** ||
 * || Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: ||

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Teachers**
**1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity** Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers: d. model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers: c. communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats.
 * 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning**

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

6/16

<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Wikis:**

Based on the outlined standards and thinking about how to effectively implement Wikis in my teaching, I thought of creating a Wiki in which my middle school ESOL students suggest engaging and useful websites to practice English grammar and vocabulary. Once a student post a link, students in the class would write a short review of the suggested website. Students will be previously given examples of websites and taught about how to write a review.

Some good websites I have suggested my students are:

http://www.savethecomma.com/game/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/sentencebasics/verbsubjectagreement/game.shtml

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Practicing grammar and vocabulary is always relevant when working with ELLs. Then, I'm thinking this is a good starting point for this unit.

b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. ||
 * Standards for Students**
 * **3.** || **Research and Information Fluency** ||
 * || Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
 * **5.** || **Digital Citizenship** ||
 * || Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: ||
 * a || advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. ||

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Standards for Teachers**
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:
 * 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments**
 * b. || develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress. ||
 * c. || customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. ||