Final+Projects

__Getting Started__ Please preface your //Final Project// with a full heading. Placement of your Final Project here allows future participants to visit, tweak, edit, and modify, so that others may benefit from your experience and wisdom.

__**Example:**__ Dave Fontaine Internet Librarian Middletown High School Middletown, RI 02871 DaveFontaine1@gmail.com = = __Click on your name and paste your Final Project on your wiki page. Please also add more detail to the profile written below your name.__ = =

Alfred, Nick
Badigian, Martha Library Media Specialist Peace Dale Elementary School (K-5) South Kingstown, RI mbadigian@skschools.net

Berenberg, Melissa elem reading-SKings Reading Teacher Grades 3-5

Borges, Lisa Computer Applications Teacher & Classroom Support Exeter/West Greenwich Junior High School West Greenwich, RI 02817 mrsborges@gmail.com

Caplette, David 4th Grade Teacher Richmond Elementary School Wyoming RI, 02898 david.caplette@chariho.k12.ri.us

**Cappadona, Carol** Library Media Specialist Rockwell School (K-5) Bristol, RI cappadonac@bw.k12.ri.us

Caswell, Jack

**Cauchon, Thomas**

Charest, Elizabeth

Chmelyk, Lori Junior High Language Arts Teacher Edmonton Catholic Schools Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

**Colonnese, Patricia**

Connolly, Barbara Barbara Connolly Library Media Specialist River Dell High School Oradell, NJ 07649 Beconnolly84@gmail.com

Deakers, Lynne

Kelly-DePerry,Susan 8th Grade English Language Arts Gorton Junior High School Warwick, RI kellydeperrys@warwickschools.org

Didriksen, Joanne High School English DiTusa, Lynn Dudley, John Deakers, Lynne Didriksen, Joanne __Dones, Dana__

Fagan, Jacquelyn Chemistry Teacher South Kingstown High School South Kingstown RI jfagan@skschools.net

Fayne, Jonathon Substitute ElementaryCranston, RI

Fogel, Denice Daniels  Senior Library Media Specialist  Norwalk High School  Norwalk, CT 06851  danielsd@norwalkps.org

Gordon, Rebecca High School History Teacher

Gotham, Mary Teacher/Librarian West Genesee High School Camillus, NY 13031 megotham@hotmail.com

Hawkins, Jennifer General Science/Chemistry Teacher Killingly High School Dayville, CT 06241 jenhawkins@killinglyschools.org

Hurt, Pamela

**Kaczynski, James** 7/8 Science Jamestown School, Jamestown RI jimkaczynski@gmail.org

Kalif, Amy Spanish Teacher Rogers High School Newport, RI 02840 amyk3@cox.net

Kennefick, Stacy 6th Grade Math Teacher Hoxsie Elementary School Warwick, RI 02889 kenneficks@warwickschools.org

Kiernan, Lisa

Krause, Suzanne 4th Grade Teacher Charlestown Elementary School Charlestown, RI 02813 sdkra@chariho.us

Lebrun, Kim 8th Grade ESL Teacher Hugh B. Bain Middle School Cranston, RI 02910 klebrun@cox.net

Lee, Marcia

Lesser, Charlotte Director of Elementary Library Services Monadnock Regional School District 600 Old Homestead Hwy Swanzey, NH 03446 (603) 352-6955  begin_of_the_skype_highlighting   (603) 352-6955  end_of_the_skype_highlighting  x384 clesser@mrsd.org [|www.mrsd.org/~library]

Limoges, Jennifer Elementary Reading Specialist

Lovett, Amanda Matarese, Heather Elementary Regular Ed.

Marcellino, D

Murray, Eileen Technology Teacher Davisville Middle School 200 School Street North Kingstown, RI 02852 (401) 543-6301  begin_of_the_skype_highlighting  <span class="skype_pnh_textarea_span"><span class="skype_pnh_text_span"> (401) 543-6301  <span class="skype_pnh_mark">end_of_the_skype_highlighting eileen_murray@nksd.net eimurrray.wikispaces.com

McAllister, Rebekah 8th Grade Science Teacher Davisville Middle School 200 School Street North Kingstown, RI 02852 rebekahmcallister1@gmail.com

McGill, Maura 3rd Gr.Elem.Tchr. Charlestown Elementary Charlestown,RI 02813 Maura.McGill@Chariho.k12.ri.us

Mc Monigle, James

Nazareth, S

Neri, Michelle

Phelan, A

Ponn, Julie Library Media Specialist [|Alvey Elementary (K-5)] Haymarket, VA 20169 ponnjm@pwcs.edu

Riley, Joanna Library Media Specialist Lane Elementary (K-6) Alsip, IL

Rutar, Karen Junior High Language Arts Teacher Edmonton Catholic Schools Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Records, Matthew

Schaal, Jill

Schofield,Jay English Department Chairperson Lincoln High School 135 Old River Rd. Lincoln, RI 02865 schofieldd@lincolnps.org

Searle, M Agriculture Teacher Ponaganset High School N. Scituate, RI mal_searle@yahoo.com

Simmons, Cheryl Occupational Therapist

Sitler, Bridget Media Specialist Loretta Park Elem.(1-5) Brentwood NY 11717

Steele, Erika

Stevens, Pamela Technology Integrator Coach: CFF Fairview High School Fairview PA 16415 pstevens@fairview.iu5.org Strachan, Brooke

Stewart, Sonja

Tasso, James Grade 8 Social Studies Gaudet Middle School Middletown RI

Tondreau, Cheryl Counselor / Advisor CCRI - Network RI Providence, RI __cheryltondreau@gmail.com__

__**WALDRON, ABIGAIL**__ __Library Media Specialist__ __Wamogo Reg. High School__ __Litchfield, CT 06759__ __Walsh, Jeannine__ __Reading Specialist K-5__ __Newport, RI__ __Weinberg, Tamara__ __Library Media Specialist__ __Middle School__ __Fairfield, CT__

Weldon,Elizabeth-921-Final

__Widman(sinclair) Ami__ __Wilson, Jane__ __Technology Resource Teacher__ __Middle School__ __Fairfield, CT__ __Wright, Erin__

Wright Kathleen

Reading Specialist Charlestown Elementary Charlestown, RI kathleenw31@gmail.com

Wrightson, Jacquelyn School Media Specialist High School: Grades 9-12

Yip, Frank

Coelho,Leilani Kindergarten Teacher John F. Horgan Elementary School West Warwick, RI

Crotty, Kim Library Media Specialist High School: Grades 9-12 Fairview, Pennsylvania

Driscoll, Rosemary lms-ER Martin MS--E.Prov

Esposito, Donna Library Media Specialist Hopewell Valley Central High School - NJ

Feole, Diane HS-Eng-CranWest

Howard, Anne Library Media Specialist Trinity School (K-8) Ellicott City, MD

Kimball, Robert (Toby) HS-Hist-SKing

Kment, Karen g4-N.Smit Elem

Knott, Joanna elem-LMS-Pennsy.

Long, Jennifer elem-lms-newport Created professional development wiki for 2008 RIEMA Conference attendees and colleagues. Wiki located at: http://riema08.wikispaces.com

O'Halloran, Joan MS-Sci-EProv

Pisani, Andrea Math Teacher North Kingstown High School North Kingstown, RI

Polinick, John Grade 6 Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School Providence, RI, 02919 jpolinick@hotmail.com;john.polinick@ppsd.org

Ream, Barbara Family and Consumer Science Dept. HS- CYHS York, PA Rutar, Karen

Sexton, Michael Special Educator Woonsocket High School

Sizeland, Mary HS-Bus-Middle Grades 9-12

sizeland-law

Tennett Adams, Susan g5-Cranston

Zannella, Stephanie English/Language Arts Teacher Blue Team - 8th Grade Cole Middle School - E.Greenwich

Please access my unit by clicking on the link above. This unit is an interdisplinary unit my team has created and implemented over the last three years, each year changing and tweaking assignments. This year I have added more assignments related specifically to English/Language Arts class and have modified the assignments and culminating project to include the use of the Web 2.0 tools learned in this class. Please feel free to contact me at smz10@cox.net if you have any questions or would like copies of any resources.

Esther Lewenstein School Media Specialist IS 278 Marine Park Brooklyn, NY famous99 @ verizon.net

Susan Tennett Adams Fifth-Grade Teacher Cranston, RI

Jessica Galla Lincoln High School Reading Specialist 9-12 jlgalla@cox.net This unit titled //Digging Deeper For Comprehension//, will be used with the English/Reading 9 classes. These ninth grade students are in a double period English/Reading class. These students are typically reading three or more years below grade level. The reading specialist (me) is teacher in the classroom with the English teacher and some days the special educator. We try to keep the students motivated by doing a variety of activities while maintaining their attention. Eleven activities personification, hyperbole Reading an adapted version of a high interest play. The students will be using a variety of reading strategies to enhance their comprehension of a text. Another goal of this lesson is to improve upon students fluency through readers’ theater. Using a classblog([|www.lincolnhighschoolreading.blogspot.com]) from [|www.blogger.com] Using [|www.audacity.sourceforge.net] for podcasting Using [|www.Feedburner.com] to use for podcasting with [|www.blogger.com] Using http://www.storyteller.net/stories/audio for reading with expression Use the internet for researching Charles Dickens Modeling mini lessons Cooperative learning groups Differentiated instruction (graphic organizers partially filled in for those who need it)(longer or shorter journal entries based on their need) Sentence starters for those who need them for their journal entries Working with partners to discuss their work Posting their work on the class blog (developing a purpose)( Motivation for the students to do well) Modeling how to read with expression (tape the students and add to podcast) Graphic organizers on chart paper Charts hanging in the classroom for students to refer to Rubrics for all assignments Pre reading, during reading and post reading strategies Group project rubric The class will begin this unit by completing an anticipation guide for A Christmas Carol. The guide will be posted on the class blog prior to the lesson. After the students complete the guide, the class will take part in a conversation about it. The students will predict what play we will be reading. The teacher will then ask who wrote A Christmas Carol. The students will then write in their journal about their knowledge of Charles Dickens. If the students feel they can not write much about Charles Dickens, they can write anything that comes to mind when they hear, A Christmas Carol or Charles Dickens. After discussion of their knowledge, the teacher will have the students research on the computer Charles Dickens. Each student will report out five useful pieces of information that they learned. The students will post the information on the class blog. The teacher will then give the class any additional background knowledge about Charles Dickens. The class will then discuss the characters in the play. We will use the internet to print out pictures of each of the characters. Differentiated instruction will be used for those students who need an extention activity. The students who need an extention activity will research and write a description to go along with the pictures of the characters. Characters will be assigned for the play. The class will begin with a mini lesson on how to read a play. The teacher will use the smartboard and the website http://www.storyteller.net/stories/audio to model reading with expression. The teacher will then model using the same story without expression. The class will discuss why it is important to read with expression. The students will begin with Act 1, Scene 1; London, Scrooge's office. After scene 1, the class will discuss the scene. The students will discuss how Cratchit and Scrooge must feel. The students will read Scene 2. The class will discuss Scene 1 and 2. The teacher will discuss the journal rubric. The students will complete a journal entry. What do you think Marley’s chain represents? Why does he wear it? After completing their entry the students will discuss their entry with a partner. Sentence starters will be used for differentiated instruction upon need. After each scene, the class will fill in the important events in the graphic organizer. For differentiated instruction the teacher will pass out a partially filled organizer for the students who need one. We will review how graphic organizers help to improve comprehension. The students will finish their organizer for homework. Additional homework will be for students to report about their discussion of their journal entry about Marley on the class blog. Students should read and respond to other students comments. The class will begin by previewing the class blog on the smartboard. The class and students will respond to the comments posted. The class will then go over the graphic organizers from the previous day. The class will continue with the students forming small cooperative groups to compare Scrooge with his late partner Marley. Students who need it will have one similarity and difference filled in on their organizer. The cooperative groups will make a list explaining how the two characters are alike and different. The class will then make a whole class list of the similarities on chart paper. The class will start reading Act 2. After each scene, the class will fill in the important events on the graphic organizer. Class will end with a journal entry. The students will write a description of Scrooge. They will also include their opinion of Scrooge thus far. Comments will be posted on the class blog. The class will recap what has happened to this point. The class will continue reading Act 2. The students will write a journal entry comparing and contrasting Scrooge and Fezziwig. How are they alike and how are they different? The teacher will introduce a Venn diagram as a graphic organizer to help improve their comprehension of the play. The smartboard will be used to show the Venn diagram. The teacher will fill out the organizer on the smartboard as the students are filling it out. The class will begin with a mini lesson on visualizing. The class will discuss how this helps improve comprehension. The students will be told that their job is to visualize in their head what the text is describing. The class will start reading Act 3. After Act 3, the students will be divided into cooperative groups and choose four events in each Act to draw. The students need to use the text to imagine what the events look like. Class will begin with each group continuing to work on their visualizing project. The class will then explain and show their project to the class. When the projects are complete, the teacher will use the school’s digital camera to take pictures of the projects. The teacher will use the www.Flickr.com to display the pictures. This would be a great way to celebrate their work. Family members and other classroom teachers would be able to view what the class is working on. Class will begin with Act IV. The class will stop in different points to discuss each Scene and complete their graphic organizer. The class will complete a journal entry. The entry would include if they could change Act 1V, what they would change about it. These entries could also be included on the class blog. The class will read Act V. The class will fill in their graphic organizer and discuss the Act. The class will also write a new description of Scrooge in their journal. They will be asked to compare this entry to the entry they wrote at the beginning of the unit. The students will make a list of character traits. The teacher will then pass out a list of character traits for the students to use for this assignment. The class will work in a small group and discuss the similarities and differences in their entries. The students will then recreate Act 1, knowing what they know about Scrooge now. The students will rewrite Act 1 in a small group. They will use Scrooge’s character traits in Act 5 and apply them to Act 1. The groups will be assessed using a group rubric for this project. The class will choose one of the entries below: 1. Scrooge's mother had died giving birth to him; his father blamed him for her death. As a result he led a lonely and bitter life. Compare and contrast his attitude with that of Tiny Tim, who was also having a difficult life. 2. Ebenezer Scrooge said that he feared the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come more than all the others? Why do you think that was? How would you react if you got the chance to see your future? 3. Pretend you are Ebenezer Scrooge. You have never done one kind thing or said one kind word to your only living relative. Now you are ashamed of yourself. The next time you saw your nephew, what would you say to him? How would you explain your past behavior? After the entries are complete the students will form cooperative groups with the other students who completed the same entry. The students will discuss their entry with the other members of their group. Finished entries could be published to the class blog. The students would get a chance to showcase their accomplishments. A Christmas Carol Stadium Theater Woonsocket, Rhode Island The class will discuss the play we saw at Stadium Theater. The class will complete be assessed on A Christmas Carol by completing a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences between the play we read and the play we saw. The students could also use pictures to help describe the similarities and differences. The teacher will review the Compare and Contrast writing rubric before the students begin writing. The students will write their own ending of A Christmas Carol. These responses could be shared on the class blog. For extra credit the students could write a review of the play we saw at the Stadium Theater and post it to the class blog. Students could also write a review of the play we read in class.
 * Introduction:**
 * TITLE OF UNIT:**
 * //Digging Deeper For Comprehension//** **//Using the play//** **The Christmas Carol**
 * TIMELINE:**
 * STANDARDS:**
 * R-10-4.2** Paraphrasing or summarizing key ideas/plot, with major events sequenced
 * R-8-4** Identifying or describing character, setting, conflict, resolution or plot
 * R-8-4.5** Identifying literary devices, imagery, metaphors,
 * R-1.8.3** Uses comprehension strategies (flexibly and as needed) before, during and after reading literary and information text (including: prior knowledge, making connections, predicting, making inferences, determining importance, asking questions, visualizing)
 * W-2.2** Connecting what has been read to prior knowledge, other texts, or the broader world of ideas be referring to and explaining relevant ideas or themes
 * R-10-4.3** Generating questions before, during, and after reading to enhance understand and recall
 * R-10- 5.2** Examining characterization, motivation, or interactions
 * R- 10-16** Generates a personal response to what is read through a variety of means
 * R-10-13** Uses Comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading literary text
 * CONNECTION TO CURRICULUM:**
 * 1.1.1** will meet the twenty-five book standard (including plays)
 * 1.1.2** demonstrate participation in a literate community by participating in in-depth discussions about text
 * 1.2.3** drawing the texts together to compare and contrast themes, character, and ideas
 * 1.4.1** using strategies to unlock meaning
 * ISSUE AND/OR ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:** (Goals)
 * SEQUENCE OF TASKS:**
 * Pre-reading activities:**
 * The students will already be used to using the smartboard and the class blog**.**
 * The students will be given an anticipation guide to begin the unit. The anticipation guide will be done individually then discussed as a group. The anticipation guide questions will be posted to the class blog before the session. The students will have the opportunity to preview the questions before class. That way the students that need longer to process the information can preview the questions prior to actually doing the assignment. The students can read, write and respond to one another.
 * The students will have a mini lesson on how to read a play.
 * The students will research Charles Dickens on the computer. The students will be assigned to find five important details about Charles Dickens to report to the class. The students will share out the details. The teacher will then give any additional background information about Charles Dickens. The information from the students and the teacher will be posted on the class blog. The students will be able to post their information and any additional information they find throughout the unit.
 * During reading activities:**
 * The students will be given parts in A Christmas Carol. The students will practice their lines, to increase their fluency and phrasing.
 * The students will be given several journal entries to complete throughout the play. There will be a journal entry rubric used for all the entries.
 * These journal entries will help the class to dig deeper into the comprehension of the play.
 * Post reading activities:**
 * The students will continue to complete journal entries comparing and contrasting the play.
 * The students will go on a field trip to Stadium Theater in Woonsocket to see A Christmas Carol.
 * After returning from the play the students will compare the play we read in class to the play we saw.
 * INSTRUCTION (Best practices (including but not limited to cooperative learning, differentiated instruction, flexible grouping, peer editing, modeling, hands-on, student centered, etc.):**
 * Best practices:**
 * Activity One:**
 * Activity Two:**
 * Activity Three:**
 * Activity Four:**
 * Activity Five:**
 * Activity Six:**
 * Activity Seven:**
 * Activity Eight:**
 * Activity Nine:**
 * Activity Ten:**
 * Activity Eleven:**
 * PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT:**
 * The students will be comparing and contrasting the play we read and the play we saw at Stadium Theater. The students can use a graphic organzer, pictures, or journal entry. The students will be assessed using the Compare and Contrast writing rubric.
 * The students will write their own ending of A Christmas Carol.
 * The students will also be assessed on their journal entries throughout the unit. The students will be assessed using the journal entry rubric.

Pamela V. Westkott This unit contains lessons in all content areas. It culminates by expecting students to choose a project that demonstrates what they’ve learned and to contribute to a class book of Narragansett’s history. New additions to the unit are including Web 2.0 tools. • Partners search for information online. • Studens create a question web using //Kidspiration// software • Introduce ”Exit Card” to be completed every day by each student. These are bound into a booklet. • Understandings__: rural, suburban, and urban__ __• Compare/contrast three types of communities using a tertiary Venn diagram__ __**Lesson 3.** Where do we live?__ __• Reviews mapping skills- directions,__ __• Introduces scale and coordinates for locating neighborhoods, villages, physical and political features__ __**Lesson 4.** What does all the data about our Narragansett say about us?__ __• Conduct online search of town’s website and InfoWorks website__ __• Select one descriptor, such as population, and do a comparative study over time.__ __• Analyze data to determine what it means__ __• Construct a digital graph__ __**Lesson 5**. Who are the Narragansetts?__ __• Examine the Narragansett tribes’ website and other bookmarked ones__ __• Compare: select one topic, such as histories of tribe with early English settlers, celebrations, language, customs, roles, etc.; record findings on a Venn diagram__ __•__ Understandings__- town and our school are named for tribe; people in our community & school are tribal members__ __**Lesson 6.** Why is our state called, Rhode Island and the Providence “Plantations”? Who were our “planters” and how did they shape our history?__ __• Read about Englishman who was granted large tracks of land from Queen Anne of England – Rowland Robinson and Hannah’s tale.__ __• Debate what we think about slavery__ __• Produce small group tableaus about slavery.__ __**Lesson 7.** Why do we need a standard way to__ __Measure things? Or, how tall was a Narragansett Pacer?__ __• Read historical article about the Narragansett Pacers, horses that were bred by the Narragansett planters. Since these horses were “only 16 hands high” we need to determine what that means.__ __• Share text:__ How Big is the King’s Foot? __• Deduce why a standard for measuring is__ __necessary by first estimating and then measuring things in the classroom.__ __**Lesson 8.** Why do waves break near our beach?__ __• Develop physics behind forming waves.__ __• Construct //wave// bottles and hypothesize what we notice.__ __• Complete graphic organizer and compose a__ __poem about waves to be compiled into a class book for our first grade buddies.__ __**Lesson 9**. How come it’s called “the Pier” when there aren’t any piers?__ __• Read historical articles about “the Pier” area of our town.__ __• Differentiate between the three piers that once existed and rank them by their uses.__ __• Infer why this area is still called “the Pier”.__ __**Lesson 10.** What changed Narragansett Pier from a rural community to a summer__ haven __for tourists? Why is it called the “Golden Age” of the Pier?__ __•__ Understandings __– transportation: Narragansett Pier Railroad, Casino and Towers, “grand” hotel, fire on September 12, 1900.__ __• Groups select and research topics__ __• Group report what they’ve learned.__ __• Debate //how Narragansett changed over time//.__ __**Lesson 11.** How different were Kate Chase Sprague and Inez Weed Sprague?__ __• Research these two historical figures.__ __• Assign roles and have students act out parts.__ __• Differentiate between these two women based on their contributions to our town.__ __**Lesson 12.** How can Point Judith’s light be seen 16 miles out at sea?__ __•__ Understandings __– Fresnel lense, light source, focal point, convex vs. concave, prism, reflected, and refracted light, main beam, flashing sequence, concentric__ __• Show model & hypothesize how beacon works__ __• Conduct experiment found at__ __[|__http://www.narragansett.k12.ri .us/NES/Narragansett/__]__ __lighthouse.html__ __• Record conclusions in science journal.__ __• Create a digital diagram of a Fresnel lense.__ __**Lesson 13**. Ghost stories –True or False? What do you think? How can you support your thinking?__ __• Read history of Point Judith Lighthouse and consider the legend of Judith’s ghost.__ __• Speculate if this story is true or not.__ __• Construct a lighthouse and compose a legend.__ __**Lesson 14.** What does it mean to be a citizen, to be governed?__ __• Research online what type of government the town has.__ __• Complete graphic organizer of Council-Manager format__ __• Introduce town meeting format and assign roles.__ __• Pose a problem to be considered.__ __• Respective officials meet and discuss problem and their role in resolving it.__ __• Record notes, arguments and conclusions__ __• Convene meeting so groups can report out their findings.__ __• Town council leads and voters decide.__ __• Debrief what happened.__ __**Lesson 15.** What is a silhouette? How can we design our own about “Olde Narragansett”?__ __• Determine what a silhouette looks like.__ __• Examine exemplars with students with these prompts: //What do you notice that this student has done well? How were they able to do this?//__ __• Students create their silhouettes.__ __**Lesson 16**. Final projects: How can we share what we now know about Narragansett? How will we assess what we’ve learned?__ __• Interpret “Think-Tac-Toe” designed to give students a required component and choices.__ __• Require all students to contribute one chapter to our class book about Narragansett. Assess writing with Grade Three Writing Rubric. Every student creates illustrations and cover of book.__ __• Introduce other demonstration choices, such as brochure, PPT, drama or puppet show, songs and games played in 1900, newspaper, old style journal, series of postcards, audio tape, video, etc.__ __• Analyze rubrics: establish criteria, determine expectations of how to meet or exceed the standard, demonstrate pride in work, reexamine exemplars for projects.__ __**Grand Finale!** Students play //Whose the Expert?//, a Jeopardy-style game to showcase their expertise about our town.__ __•“Exit Card” booklets that students have written their entries in since the first day of unit are collected.__ __Culminating Field Trip- Tour of Narragansett:__ __Robinson House-URI School of Oceanography-old South Ferry Church & graveyard-Towers-Central Street-Druids’ Dream-Sherry Cottages & Kentara Green-Earle’s Court water tower-Hazard’s Castle & tower –Ocean Road historic district-Point Judith Lighthouse-Galilee fishing village-Town Hall: mural, chambers, offices.__ __**Lesson 14: What does it mean to be a citizen of**__ __**Narragnsett?**__ NETS 4,5: Students will use online resources to participate in collaborative problem solving. G&C (Gr.3&4) 1-2**: Students demonstrate an understanding of sources of authority and use of power…** by identifying authority figures within local government and demonstrating characteristics of leadership and fair decision making. (DOK 2) G&C (Gr.3&4) 3-2: **Students demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and groups exercise** working cooperatively in a group to complete a task and explaining different ways conflicts can be resolved. (DOK 2). G&C (Gr. 3&4) 5-3: **Students demonstrate an understanding of how choices we make impact and are impacted by…**explaining the pros and cons of personal and organizational decisions. (DOK 2) W-3-6: **In informational writing, students organize** W-3-7: **In informational writing, students effectively convey purpose by…**stating a focus/controlling idea on a topic. (DOK 2) W-3-8: **In informational writing, students demonstrate use of a range of elaboration strategies by…**naming, explaining and comparing information pertinent to topic. (DOK 3) W-3-9 …Correctly use conventions (DOK 1) [|__http://www.narragansett.gov__] [|__http://riedc.com/riedc/ri _databank/31/284/__] Video clip that demonstrates how a town meeting functions Digital projection system & computers Paper, pencils, note cards, highlighters Individual copies and overhead of graphic organizer listing town officials Desktop tented cards announcing name of role they are playing Laptop for Town Clerk to take notes Gavel for Chairperson Microphone Podium Video equipment (& videographer) Mini-lesson-Class gathers at meeting area on rug for introduction and to view sample town meeting Desks are clustered by sub-organizations within town government, such as town council, school committee, safety officers, etc. Students work collaboratively following expected group norms. Teacher(s) monitor group work to determine how work is going and who needs help.
 * Grade/Content Area** – Grade 3 – Social Studies
 * Unit’s Title** - //Narragnsett – Yesterday and Today//
 * Length of unit:** one month
 * Overview of the Unit**- “What does it mean to belong to a community?” is an ongoing strand throughout our units of study in third grade. As a final investigation into this theme, we closely examine our own town through its history and how it impacts who we are today.
 * Lessons in this unit address these questions:**
 * Lesson 1**. What do we think we know about our town? What do we still wonder about? What if it’s fact or opinion? How do we know?
 * Lesson 2**. What makes Narragansett a community? How does it compare with other kinds of communities?
 * Grade/Content Area:** Grade 3 -Social Studies
 * Length of Lesson:** 3 - 45 to 60 minute sessions
 * GLE’s/GSE’s:**
 * (or are denied) their rights and responsibilities by…**
 * concepts/ideas by…**grouping ideas and arrange them in a logical manner. (DOK 2)
 * Context of Lesson:** We will apply our understanding of our town’s Council-Town Manager model of government by working through a problem that the we actually faced: an injured coyote was frequenting our school’s surrounding area – including the playground. Practical application of a real-life situation should have been meaningful. Students cite this as “one of their proudest things” we did this year. I love the earnestness of third grade students, all of which our media specialist captured on video. Clips from this video will be edited into our class Blog. We hope to share this with town officials, showing them how third graders can govern, too!
 * Opportunities to Learn:**
 * Materials:** Bookmarked Websites such as
 * Classroom Environment:**

Since the act of writing is differentiated, the fluent writer is encouraged to create and explore, while the emerging writer is supported for continued development. Some specific ways to differentiate are: • //Know your student writers// through on going assessment that guides my teaching and learning for each student. Individual conferences are essential. • For students who need written language support (per IEP, 504, ELL, Title students): • Challenge the fluent writer through questioning, provoking the student to reach beyond what is on the page. Model how this writer can coach others in their group. • Be prepared! Know the resources being used and the roles of each town government official. • Review cooperative learning strategies with any group having difficulty working so they can reach a common objective. 1. Disseminate individual copies of spreadsheet. 2. Introduce graphic organizer that lists official structure of town’s government. Review the respective roles each official has been charged to fill. 3. Students work online with a partner to complete their spreadsheet about the town’s government. Names of each officer are to be filled in as they work with a partner. Remind students that this will become a portfolio entry. 4. Reconvene as a class to share what has been learned. Using an overhead (OH), students report names of officials. Teacher and students record on the OH their findings while reviewing what each official’s role is in our government. 5. Students are informed that this information will be significant during following day’s lesson. Papers are held in students’ folders. 6. Announce that we will hold our own town meeting tomorrow and that roles will be assigned today, permitting students to consider what their job means and how they might need to act. 7. Teacher will meet with each student during another time of the day to assign roles and discuss the responsibilities of the official they are playing. Part One: Set up purpose for the work. 1. Direct students to take all documents and materials they need as they move to their assigned spaces. Tented cards should be on desk or table top in front of them, announcing who they are. 2.Town Council president convenes meeting. “Pledge to Flag” is said. Problem is presented, followed by Open Forum, during which each respective constituency speaks to the issue before the council. 3. Council president seeks final thoughts from each official as each participant summarizes their own POV. Finally the Town Manager is asked for his analysis. After discussion, vote is taken and council president announces decision. Meeting is adjourned. 4. Debrief the process with students. 5. Collect all notes and persuasive pieces written by each student, if they are completed. They may be completed the next day during Writer’s Workshop. At a time that is convenient, Mr. Jennings will edit the video with small groups of students. When completed, we will view it before it is added to our class Blog and shared with the Town Council. Student writing will be assessed as students and teachers use the Third Grade Writing Rubric to score their persuasive pieces. An observation checklist will be completed to record how students follow directions, worked cooperatively, remained on task and were actively involved. Watching the video provides another way to determine how each student contributed to the process. Students wanted to have a follow-up meeting, reporting back as to how the problem was resolved. They also insisted on having another meeting with a different issue. We chose to address one our town faces: How to deal with rubbish? Town-wide collection? “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” program? So we did have a second meeting after reassigning roles. They loved it and we witnessed how well they worked through the problems, acting like responsible, involved citizens we hope they will always be. We look forward to what reactions we might receive in comments made on our Blog and from our own community. This is government in action. In reflection, I’ve decided that a template should be created to help guide students how to organize a persuasive piece. I’m working on that.
 * Differentiation of Instruction:**
 * Meet with the individual and while listening to student’s ideas, record key words or phrases the writer can use to work on while writing independently.
 * Provide audio taping at the Listening Center.
 * Depth of Knowledge:** As indicated with the GLE’s and GSE’s for Writing and Social Studies, students are engaged in both basic and complex reasoning at different times throughout this lesson.
 * Objectives:** Students will…
 * 1) Identify the Council-Manager” form of government as the leadership of our community.
 * 2) Take notes and write a persuasive piece about how they view issues raised during discussions. This writing must explain rationale for their decision, include supporting evidence and summarize their point of view (POV).
 * 3) Present their arguments for the decisions they can or cannot support during the open forum of the meeting.
 * 4) Listen respectfully and thoughtfully to arguments presented during the meeting.
 * 5) Accept the council’s vote on the issue.
 * Instructional Procedures:**
 * Day One-** **(40 minutes)** Pre-requisite for Day Two.
 * Day Two:** **Opening Hook & mini-lesson (15 minutes)**
 * 1) Teachers engage in a role-playing scenario where they present an issue for students to vote upon that directly affects them, only to have teachers disregard the results of the vote and unilaterally change the outcome.
 * 2) “Tell us how you feel about our decision? (Pause for student responses) How could we have acted differently?”
 * 3) Discussion continues as students consider these prompts: “Let’s think about what is means to be a //citizen//? What rights and responsibilities do we each have as citizens? (This is building on work that we have done throughout the year.)
 * 4) Introduce a brief video clip of an actual town council meeting. Set purpose by telling students to notice what the meeting looks and sounds like. “At the end of this clip we will debrief what we’ve noticed.”
 * 5) After viewing the video, have students share their observations and call for any questions they are wondering about at this time.
 * Engagement: (30-40 minutes)**
 * Caveat-**Students have been told that Mr. Jennings, our media specialist will be filming our meeting. This is a routine practice, but it is important to review how we act during filming.
 * 1) “We are faced with a serious problem at our school, one that has impacted all of us. Because of the wounded coyote that has been seen by the town’s safety officers, we cannot go outside for recess.”
 * 2) “What if we convene a Town Council meeting right here in Room 25 to discuss the issues and how we would resolve this problem? Let’s begin thinking about it. Safety officers and local citizens are deeply concerned. And, an animal rights group, PETA, has gotten involved because they don’t want the animal hurt.”
 * 3) “Remember that during a public meeting, all points of view must be addressed and discussed before a vote can be taken. However, since this problem is serious, we must take swift action to resolve it.”
 * 4) Students move to their respective seats and meet with their groups. They are using problem solving skills and the information about our government.
 * 5) Explain how doing further research is encouraged and note taking is expected. (Students have gone online to learn more about coyotes and PETA.)
 * Day 3** (45-60 minutes)
 * Follow-up:**
 * Assessment:**
 * Extensions:**

NETS (5,6) Determine when technology is useful and select the appropriate tool(s) and resources. W-3-6: **In informational writing, students organize** W-3-7: **In informational writing, students effectively convey purpose by…**stating a focus/controlling idea on a topic. (DOK 2) W-3-8: **In informational writing, students demonstrate use of a range of elaboration strategies by…**naming, explaining and comparing information pertinent to topic. (DOK 3) W-3-9 …Correctly use conventions (DOK 1) W-3-10 Works through the writing process (DOK 3) HP1: Students act as historians using a variety of sources and interpret series of connected events. HP2: Students connect the past with the present as they chronicle human events, diverse people and the societies they form. HP2: Students make personal connections and understand how the past frames the present and future. While this book has been an annual project, I now want to use Web 2.0 tools and add a whole new dimension to the work- to first construct a Wiki about Narragansett and then create a Podcast to demonstrate how much we’ve learned. My hope is that the online community can contribute more information about Narragansett on the Wiki. Props __for the “hook”: stuffed peapod and fishing pole with line, but without actual hook.__ __Hale, S. (1980). //Narragansett Bay: A Friend’s Perspective.// Templeton, MA. Adams Printing.__ __//Historic and Architectural Resources of Narragansett, RI.// (1991). RI Historical Preservation Commission..__ __Latimer, S. (1997). //Narragansett-by-the-Sea.// Dover, NH. Arcadia Publishing.__ __Latimer, S. (1999). //Narragansett in Vintage Postcards.// Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing.__ __//Narragansett- Yesterday and Today.// (2003). Text written by previous students and this teacher.__ __• newspaper articles__ __• collection of oral histories, postcards, journals__ __• mobile lab__ __• digital projection system__ __• paper, pencils, highlighters, etc.__ __• Word Wall, Quick Word Books__ __• individual copies of Third Grade Writing Rubric__ __**Classroom Environment:**__ __• Introduction –class gathers at meeting area on rug.__ __• Student desks are clustered together.__ __• Students may use any resources available to them and work at any classroom space.__ __• Students work collaboratively following expected group norms.__ __• Teachers monitor group work to determine how work is going and who might need intervention.__ __• Table where teacher confers with student-writers__ __**Differentiation of Instruction:**__ __An //effective// Writer’s Workshop is truly differentiated. The emerging writer is fully supported and the fluent writer is encouraged to stretch and explore beyond where he/she is at this point in time. The act of conferring differentiates instruction based on what the writing needs. Specific ways to help students are:__ __• //Know your student writers// through on going assessment that guides my teaching and learning for each student. Individual conferences are essential.__ __• For students who need written language support (per IEP, 504, ELL, Title students):__ • Challenge the fluent writer through questioning, provoking the student to reach beyond what is on the page. Model how this writer can coach a partner or others in their group. • Be prepared! Know the resources being used. • Cooperative learning strategies for Writer’s Workshop already exist, following the same conferring model that is used while meeting with a student. Children practice how to be Writing Partners. • Using technology often is an equalizer. Students challenged in academic areas often shine using technology tools. Creating this Wiki will be a class project. We will begin by viewing a tutorial during our time in the Tech Lab. I have found some examples of Wikis for us to examine, noticing what they have stylistically and content wise. As we consider our objective –showcasing what we know and think about Narragansett- we can decide what and how we plan to develop the wiki. Much planning and thinking still needs to be done before I actually attempt this with students. Teacher will share props with students: a stuffed peapod __and a__ fishing pole without real hook. __While “casting” the fishing pole, I’ll pull in the tied-on peapod and ask students: //If I were to join these two together, what compound word would they create? Here’s a hint: It is a technology word for a Web 2.0 tool.// (Pause for answer or tell students.) //So what might a Podcast have to do with ourstudy of Narragansett? We are going to create one! What do we already know about Podcasts? Let’s look at what some 5////th// //graders from California have created.//__ __[|__http://www.murrieta.k12.ca.us /tovashal/bcoley/coleycast /podcast.info.htm__]__
 * Lesson 16 – Final projects:**
 * Grade/Content Area:** Grade 3 – Social Studies
 * GLE’s/GSE’s:**
 * concepts/ideas by…**grouping ideas and arrange them in a logical manner. (DOK 2)
 * Context of the Lesson:** Writing this book is a culminating project for the unit of study about our town’s history. We all contribute to its creation. We are expected to synthesize all that we have learned and retell Narragansett’s history in our own style.
 * Opportunities to Learn:**
 * Materials:**
 * Meet with the individual and while listening to student’s ideas, record key words or phrases the writer can use to work on while writing independently.
 * Provide audio taping at the Listening Center.
 * Depth of Knowledge:** As indicated with the GLE’s and GSE’s for Writing and Social Studies, students are engaged in both basic and complex reasoning at different times throughout this lesson.
 * Objectives:** Students will:
 * 1) Synthesize what they learned about their topic and work through the writing process to compose a chapter for the class book.
 * 2) Learn what a Podcast is and how it is created.
 * 3) Plan out and write a script for their segment of the Podcast.
 * 4) Practice recording their segment and self-evaluate their performance using NES fluency rubric. Revisions and editing follow.
 * 5) Publish their segment’s writing on the Podcast.
 * 6) Decide within their group how the Podcast is organized and what respective roles they have.
 * 7) Work with technology and media specialists to finalize production.
 * Instructional Procedures:**
 * Prerequisites:** Students have been researching and developing their understanding of Narragansett’s history. Each student has selected one topic that they will be responsible for composing a chapter in our class book. They will continue to be the resident expert on this topic when they place their writing on the Wiki and we develop our Podcast
 * Day One: (__45 to 60 minutes__)**. Introduction & Hook

__This is a *link!!!! Begin with tutorial, “What is a podcast?” and then view examples. There’s even one about their town. Murrieta, California. Follow-up with an analysis of what students have noticed. Teacher records students’ ideas as they watch the monitor. These elements can be turned into criteria for our own production.__ __With discussion, students complete template that sequences steps for planning and implementing. Steps may include:__ __1. Deciding who is working individually or within a group.__ __2. Planning and drafting a__ segment __of the broadcast.__ __3. Selecting a__ broadcaster__- person speaking.__ __4. Choosing a__ host __– responsible for introduction and providing the “hook” to excite the listeners and lists the segments included in Podcast.__ __5. Conferring with writing partner(s) and teacher/director to polish the written segment and then revising/editing finalize piece for publication.__ __6. Text of broadcast is typed into the Wiki.__ __7. Group decisions to be made, such as music to be used, order of segments and when we’re ready for production.__ __8. Assess readiness by having rehearsals: each individual broadcaster reads and records their piece and then listens to assess performance. Also, the group’s production must hold “run-throughs” of the whole broadcast. The group must reach consensus about if they are ready.__ __8. Production is then begins with supervision.__ __Assign groups and set students off to begin working.__ __Using bookmarked educational podcasts kids created, students may wish to examine other examples.__ After groups have made initial decisions about what to include, and who will do what, guide students to begin planning and drafting their segments. Teachers monitor students while they work. Conferring will be done at the table. Students come to conference with a designated purpose for meeting. This fosters writer to reread and reconsider writing before meeting with adult. Teacher listens to student read and discuss their writing. Initially share what you like about the writing. Then offer one suggestion for the student-writer to consider for revising. If this is a final conference, student should come having already self-edited writing or edited with a writing partner. This fosters accountability for correctly using conventions. Follow same format for all conferences before moving on to a final edit prior to publishing. This is completed **with** student writer who makes all editors’ marks on paper.
 * Day Two:** **(45 -60 minutes) Podcasters-at-Work!**

Before ending session, groups will reconvene to assess their progress and plan for next day’s work. Each group can then report to whole class and raise any questions that need clarifying. Session begins by meeting on the rug for a check-in to determine where everyone is working today. Management plans are to work with one group at a time. If others are waiting for a conference, they can go through their writing notebooks and return to anything else they had been working on earlier. It is Writer’s Workshop. Actually recording of the broadcast will need to be at a scheduled time convenient to all parties. I find that students even are willing to give up a recess time. Having optimal conditions for recording are critical. We hope to eliminate background noise which hard to do in schools!
 * Day Three: __(45-60 minutes)__**

ideas about how educators are assessing work (and the working process) as students create blogs, wikis and podcasts. Students will use our Third Grade Writing Rubric, to self-assess their writing. I will also evaluate the writing so we can confer together, sharing what we both think. I will be looking closely at attempts made at revising, something I expect student writers to be doing this late in the year. I have anecdotal notes that I make while/after conferring with students. These include date, reason writer asked for the conference, name of piece, what I liked and what writing needs. These notes are done on a double-sided weekly sheet. Each student has a square on the grid in which notes are recorded. I find this is an easy way to “see” the week, guiding instruction. Checking-in before work begins to clarify things and the all-important debriefing that follows a session are key pieces of informal assessment. Having us write a reflection will be required. It should have us react to how it feels to be “published” online. What it means to know that anyone in the world can read our work. How while that may bring a great deal of pride, we may wonder what responsibility that causes as well. Meeting to share our thinking will follow.
 * Assessment:** Other than standard use of rubrics for writing and group work, I understand that this is an area needing the most development. I’ll begin searching for
 * Extensions:** In terms of the technology, I guess I have more questions than answers at this time. I view these lessons serving as introductions to using Web 2.0 tools. The overall goal is for our students to create their own projects, first with support and eventually independently.

Scott Rollins South Kingstown HS South Kingstown, RI Grades 10-12 srollins@skschools.net

· R3.2 Writing and Communication: · W 1.3, 9.1-9.5 · OC 1.4, 2.1-2.4, 2.6 · W 6.1, 6.2
 * Title of Class:** Sports Management and Marketing
 * Title of Unit:** “Creation and Image Branding of a Sports Franchise”
 * Time Period:** 6 Lessons, approx. 10 weeks in length
 * GSE’s Addressed:** Reading:


 * Lesson 1: Choosing a Franchise Location**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the key components of selecting an appropriate location to place a professional sports franchise using demographic research and case studies.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will have identified a location within the United States to place their newly created professional football franchise

FMap of United States with current NFL franchises (Visual learner) F Houston Texans Case Study Handout (Visual and Auditory)
 * Activities:** F Demographics Vocabulary Discussion (Auditory learner)

After completing all research, please select the city you would like to place your franchise in. Remember to include your rationale for your choice…this is the most important part!!
 * Writing Assignment:** Use any Internet sources available to locate 3 cities you would like to place your franchise in. For each city, find the following information: (hint: US Government Census site is great!)
 * * Population ||
 * * % Male, % Female ||
 * * Median Age ||
 * * Median Household Income ||
 * * % in Labor Force ||
 * * Average Family Size ||
 * * % of Families Below Poverty Level ||
 * * % w/ HS Degree or Higher ||
 * * % w/ Bachelor Degree or Higher ||

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all demographic information on handout provided in your “H” drive. Assignment will be graded on the scale: √+


 * Lesson 2: Selecting a Nickname**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in naming a professional sports franchise.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will have created an appropriate, unique and creative name for their newly created professional football franchise

(Students guess how professional teams listed names were derived) F Note Handouts on “4 Main Reasons for Team Nicknames F Brainstorm which of the 4 categories each NFL team fits into FStudents place NFL teams on white erase board under correct category
 * Activities:** F “Why this Name?” Handout

Place each team’s nickname into 1 of the 4 categories for team naming. Using this research, create 1 potential team nickname for each of the 4 naming categories. Remember to use your notes and lessons from class when including your rationale for your selections!
 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet, research all the sports teams that play in your city.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all nickname research on handout provided in your “H” drive, circle the name you like best. Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 3: Deciding on Colors and Fonts**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in the creation of professional sports teams colors styles and font style choices.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will choose both a color scheme and a font style for their franchise. Remembering that their selection should not only be creative but also appealing to the target market.

F NFL Team Font Grid (student fills in NFL team that uses each color) F Note Handout “Psychology of Color” F Class Discussion on major US companies that have clearly identifiable font and color styles (Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Coca Cola, etc) F Note Handout “Importance of Team Font” F Set up of a “Google Alert” to let them know of any color/uniform changes happening in sports (ex: Arizona Diamondback switching from purple to red for the upcoming season)
 * Activities:** F Class Discussion on which team colors look cool and why


 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet, identify the colors used for all the local teams you listed in the previous project, looking for a pattern. (Ex: NY Knicks, Islanders and Mets all using Blue and Orange) Once research is completed, select a 2 color scheme for your franchise. Using WordArt or any Internet font creation site, write out your full team name (city/state and nickname) in the font and colors you have decided on. Remember to use your notes and lessons from class when including your rationale for your selections!

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all color and font research on handout provided in your “H” drive. Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 4: Creation of a Logo and Mascot**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in the creation of professional sports team’s logo.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will choose a logo for their franchise. Students must remember that their selection should not only be creative, appropriate for merchandise and also appealing to the target market.

F Class discussion on what makes a logo appealing F Article handout on Native American logo usage F Guest speaker from Narragansett Indian Tribe discussing their views on American professional sports teams using Native American logos. F Note Handout “Team Logo Creation” F Internet article on Baltimore Ravens copyright infringement lawsuit F Set up of a “Google Alert” to let them know of any logo changes happening in sports
 * Pre-Activities:** F Students brainstorm which NFL logos they like the best


 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet for clipart, or any graphic design program (Photoshop, Microsoft paint, etc.) you are to create a team logo for your franchise. Please keep in mind the copyright laws and issues we discussed in class. The picture you use CAN’T be copyrighted or in use by ANY professional or collegiate sports team. The logo must be in your team colors, and must include your team name in the font you selected from the previous project. Remember to include your rationale behind logo choice.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place your logo on the Microsoft Word document I placed into your “H” drive. Please DO NOT change the size of the logo circle! Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 5: Creating a Team Blog**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn how to create a blog for their mock franchise using blogger.com. In addition, students will learn both the personal and business uses of a blog.


 * Goals:** Students will complete this lesson with the creation of a team blog. Each team’s blog will have a multitude of purposes. Each student will be able to use their team blog in the manner of their choice.

F Note Handout on “What Exactly is a Blog?” F Students will have lab time to examine a few sports blogs including projo.com blog and espn.go.com blog as well as any others that they choose to view. F Each student will individually complete a blog tutorial such as http://blogplates.net/tutorials.html, http://www.blogbasics.com/blog-setup-blogger.php, http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g, or one found on their own.
 * Pre-Activities:** F Class discussion about what a blog is exactly, how many have used a blog before, how many have read a blog before, etc.


 * Writing Assignment:** Using blogger.com, your assignment is to create a team blog for your mock franchise. Please check handout I placed in your “h” drive for all blog project details. Some of the details include:

F Each student must make a minimum of 1 post a week F Posts can be player oriented or team oriented. F Player oriented posts examples are: stats, injuries, suspensions, trades, etc. F Team oriented posts examples are: ticket promotions, sponsorship deals, team corporate events. F Blog must be created within 1 week of fantasy football class draft. F As the semester moves on, blog lessons will be taught to introduce new blog “tricks” F In addition, all students will be responsible for commenting on a minimum of 2 classmate’s blogs per week. Keep in mind our rules for responsible blogging.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Once your blog is complete, please place your blog URL on the space I provided on our class bulletin board. Once all class blogs are complete, you should begin posting and commenting. The general structure of your blog will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 6: Building a Stadium**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn all the details involved in the creation of a professional sports stadium. Lesson will start with the planning stages and eventually conclude with sponsorships deals and agreements.


 * Goals:** Students will complete this lesson and entire “Image Branding” unit with the planning and building/drawing of their own franchise sports stadium.

F Note Handout and PowerPoint Slide show on “Stadium Creation” F Jigsaw an Article from “Sports Business Journal” that ranks the importance of certain amenities in stadiums F Class field trip to Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium in NY to tour the facilities and ask any relevant questions (students may take pictures and create a slide presentation for extra credit) F 20 minutes of class time to view [|www.stadiumsofnfl.com] and [|www.ballparks.com] to brainstorm ideas F 20 minutes of class time to view “Google Earth” images of professional sports stadiums from aerial views. (Usually extended to 40-60 minutes because of class excitement with this technology!!)
 * Pre-Activities:** F Class discussion centered on students personal experiences with professional ballparks, stadiums and arenas…likes and dislikes


 * Writing Assignment:** Use any site you can find on the internet to research past and present professional football stadiums. Answer all questions on the handout I placed in your “H” drive. This handout is designed to help develop stadium ideas for your mid-term stadium project. When conducting research and completing handout, pay special attention to such items as: location of entrances, restrooms, concessions, ticket prices and locations, special gimmicks (ex: Buccaneers Cove at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa) etc.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Complete Stadium Creation handout in its entirety and hand in for credit. Like always, assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Conclusion of Unit:** “Creation and Image Branding of a Sports Franchise” unit is concluded with a large mid-term stadium building project. This project is graded on a fairly large rubric and is counted as 10% of their final course grade. Each class member must construct a stadium for their franchise to play in. All stadiums must have 3 views: From Above, From the Front and Google Earth (students must use Google Earth to find an actual plot of land in their city that is suitable for stadium construction). Stadiums can either be built (Lego’s, Popsicle sticks, Styrofoam, Wood blocks, etc) drawn by hand, or drawn using a graphic program like Photoshop, Paint or Google Sketch Pad, etc. Students are required to share their stadiums with the class in an informal presentation so that details can be explained and questions can be asked.

Amy Potter Windham Middle School Grade 5 Willimantic, CT 06226 ampotter16@yahoo.com LA/Reading and Social Science Lesson: Debate Time frame- 45 Minutes per session (5)

I decided to do my unit a little differently. I wanted to create a sense of what type of learner I have for you, and to do this I would have to tell you that to just place a student on a computer to do a lesson would be near pointless for me. My students need to see and feel and hear the information to learn it. So what I have chosen to do for my final project is recreate a unit that I have already implemented in my LA/Reading and Social Sciences classes. It about slavery. I have provided you with a preliminary look at what is in store, that is before I add technology. This unit is an excellent way to communicate how and why slavery existed, by allowing students to take part in the battle. Many teachers would argue that debating is difficult for younger students. I would argue back that it is a great way for a student to gain control and a sense of ownership on something. My unit would run for five weeks. The first four would be used for collecting information about slavery, reading five nonfiction text about slavery, and then the final week would be the debate. Why would technology fit into this unit? I think by creating a wiki and allowing my students to debate individually against a peer, would eliminate any redundancies during the debate, but also allow for more expression by writing. The students will do the debate over a period of 5 days. Each day they will switch partners and rebuttal an argument that has already perspired from the day before. After the entire class has made a rebuttal entry using the blog, students will then each create a reflection paper on the wiki to post and for me to assess.

Before Technology: Describe your students as learners. My students are visual and hands-on learners. This activity is so exciting to me because it allows for both to happen. My students will be recreating a portion of history in their own form, but also instilling in their audience a sense of knowledge and understanding. I think it is a great lesson to use with students who need to feel and be apart of something to truly understand it. Language Objectives for students: The students will verbally participate in a class discussion by maintaining topic. The students will answer questions after listening to a class discussion. Content Objectives for students: Review what the debate will be about. Debate the topic of integration vs. segregation. Reflect on the debate. Content Concepts: Change Hate Segregation Integration Slavery Black vs. White North vs. South Connection(s) to students: Being treated unjustly Voicing one’s opinion Taking on adult roles Placing oneself in the time frame Choosing what is right and wrong Relations to the subject matter (prejudices, racism, slavery) Describe the learning activity re: a. Supplementary materials used to make the lesson clear and meaningful. Researching books in the library Internet Sources Creating evidence that states their side (name tags) b. Meaningful activities that integrate lesson concepts with language practice opportunities for reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking. Students have read 5 novels based upon this time frame. We have engaged in numerous discussions about the issues and have viewed video clippings and articles that relate to the unit. Students have been emerged in vocabulary throughout the unit. Describe the instruction: c. What strategies will students use/practice/learn? Note taking (taking large pieces of information and pulling the most important pieces out of it), discussion (involving themselves in a class discussion, speaking out and taking a chance to say something), predictions (creating an image in their minds as to what is going to happen next by remembering events.) Collaborative Learning (using peers to coordinate and enhance the learning process.) Team work (Relying on a group member d. How will scaffolding be used to support learning? At the beginning of the debate I will model proper behavior. The students will be dressed moderately professional and create a sense of adultness. The students have also been taught the process of note taking prior to this activity and it has been modeled and repeated for their learning experience. What other instructional strategies will be used to support learning? I think prompting and starting points might be two good strategies to increase the intensity and interest in the debate. I feel that I may have a few students who get stuck and need a little help with answering, but I also have my other students to use these strategies and help me create a positive environment for the students to answer in.

How will students be grouped to support learning? I decided with this lesson to make it more challenging. I have a group of students that have their on and off days. I find it easier for them to work apart then to do group activities because they can constantly distract one another. On the other hand, I found this as a motivator to dig deeper and figure out which student influences who. So for this activity, I grouped by having some of my lower level students being on the challenging team (South) which was harder to create a detailed argument for, and then kept a few on the North but added in some higher level thinkers to prompt and emerge them into the research. How will learning be assessed? Students have taken notes throughout the course of this unit and they have done research in the library and on the internet. They will also be assessed on their presentations in the debate and their level of participation within their groups. Students will also be comparing reflections as a growth process. Connections of this lesson to the long-term instructional plan. After this lesson, students will have a true knowledge about the integration vs. segregation time frame. They will have taken part in a live debate about important events in history that will illustrate a true learning experience for them. Students will walk away with a better sense of history and its components by demonstrating their interpretations of what really happened. (They can do so by what they have uncovered in reading novels, watching video clips, and researching.)

The New Improved Unit: (I am basing these lessons on the fact that the wiki has previously been created along with being taught.)

My students have spent four weeks preparing for a heated blog debate about integration and segregation. They have read five books by Mildred D. Taylor: The Friendship The Gold Cadillac The Well Song of the Trees Let the Circle be Unbroken The students have answered questions and had discussions based upon each of these stories. The students have also went to the library and collected resources that have provided them with information about slavery and political boundaries.

Goal: Students will use the collected information and knowledge to recreate the debate (online) for integration or segregation.

Assignment: Each day I will post a scenario on the wiki under our class blog.

Possible scenarios:

A black man and a white man are in the same bathroom. A black woman cannot go to school. Black and white students must attend separate schools. Blacks have their own water fountain. More blacks go to jail.

Each pair of debaters will be assigned one of the scenarios. At the ring of my timer, one of the debaters will be given the signal to type on the blog. They will only be given 15 minutes to create their entry. At the sound of the buzzer, the debaters will switch and the other will begin.

Debate Guidelines:

Supported answers with details and examples. Complete and accurate. Refrains from repetition.

As they wait for the other partner to complete their turn students are online viewing the wiki and adding and changing already existing features. They have done four weeks of research essentially, so at this point I am giving them a chance to perfect the wiki because this will be part of their final grades. Also they keep track of their contributions. I have created a template (on the wiki) that allows each student to record what they have contributed to the wiki, outside of blogs and reflections.

Possible Template:

Please write a brief description and place your initials after to inform me of what contributions you have made to the wiki. If you have worked with someone please tell me what each person did to contribute.

Contributions include:

Pictures Literature Poetry Blogs Questions Music

After the debaters complete their daily blog debate we will take a few minutes to reflect and discuss. I will have students give examples of emotions they feel and why.

On day five, they will end the unit by creating their final posts, a reflection. I will announce the winner of the debate (integration vs. segregation) and then allow them the complete time to write about this experience and how it has taught them about slavery or if it did not. I want them to include all the elements of this unit and what they found to be the most beneficial for them to have in their power.

Guidelines for Reflection:

Demonstrates knowledge of the topic. Supported answers with details and examples. Complete and accurate.

Assessment:

There are many ways in which you can assess your students, but we seem to think formal assessments tend to be best. In this unit, I think that the debate and the reflection will create the image I need to see if my students have learned. Through them writing and discussing between each other, I will find what they have gained and recorded. I also believe that the contributions that they make will also play a role in their assessment. If the students are willing to take a chance and add to an already existing plain, I think that they are also learning. They are learning to take a chance and explore.

Overall, I think that the changes and additions I have made to this unit are tremendously beneficial. They will allow for another means of learning in the classroom. I think that technology will bring a better level of interest to my students, but in an understandable and creative way. This unit without technology is terribly interesting and fun, so with the addition of it I believe it will be even better. I think the kids will have a blast creating a wiki and debating online. They become different characters throughout this unit, I think it will be fun to see what that does to their blogging!

Scott Rollins South Kingstown HS South Kingstown, RI Grades 10-12 srollins@skschools.net

· R3.2 Writing and Communication: · W 1.3, 9.1-9.5 · OC 1.4, 2.1-2.4, 2.6 · W 6.1, 6.2 FMap of United States with current NFL franchises (Visual learner) F Houston Texans Case Study Handout (Visual and Auditory) After completing all research, please select the city you would like to place your franchise in. Remember to include your rationale for your choice…this is the most important part!!
 * Title of Class:** Sports Management and Marketing
 * Title of Unit:** “Creation and Image Branding of a Sports Franchise”
 * Time Period:** 6 Lessons, approx. 10 weeks in length
 * GSE’s Addressed:** Reading:
 * Lesson 1: Choosing a Franchise Location**
 * Introduction:** Students will learn the key components of selecting an appropriate location to place a professional sports franchise using demographic research and case studies.
 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will have identified a location within the United States to place their newly created professional football franchise
 * Activities:** F Demographics Vocabulary Discussion (Auditory learner)
 * Writing Assignment:** Use any Internet sources available to locate 3 cities you would like to place your franchise in. For each city, find the following information: (hint: US Government Census site is great!)
 * * Population ||
 * * % Male, % Female ||
 * * Median Age ||
 * * Median Household Income ||
 * * % in Labor Force ||
 * * Average Family Size ||
 * * % of Families Below Poverty Level ||
 * * % w/ HS Degree or Higher ||
 * * % w/ Bachelor Degree or Higher ||

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all demographic information on handout provided in your “H” drive. Assignment will be graded on the scale: √+


 * Lesson 2: Selecting a Nickname**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in naming a professional sports franchise.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will have created an appropriate, unique and creative name for their newly created professional football franchise

(Students guess how professional teams listed names were derived) F Note Handouts on “4 Main Reasons for Team Nicknames F Brainstorm which of the 4 categories each NFL team fits into FStudents place NFL teams on white erase board under correct category
 * Activities:** F “Why this Name?” Handout

Place each team’s nickname into 1 of the 4 categories for team naming. Using this research, create 1 potential team nickname for each of the 4 naming categories. Remember to use your notes and lessons from class when including your rationale for your selections!
 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet, research all the sports teams that play in your city.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all nickname research on handout provided in your “H” drive, circle the name you like best. Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 3: Deciding on Colors and Fonts**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in the creation of professional sports teams colors styles and font style choices.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will choose both a color scheme and a font style for their franchise. Remembering that their selection should not only be creative but also appealing to the target market.

F NFL Team Font Grid (student fills in NFL team that uses each color) F Note Handout “Psychology of Color” F Class Discussion on major US companies that have clearly identifiable font and color styles (Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Coca Cola, etc) F Note Handout “Importance of Team Font” F Set up of a “Google Alert” to let them know of any color/uniform changes happening in sports (ex: Arizona Diamondback switching from purple to red for the upcoming season)
 * Activities:** F Class Discussion on which team colors look cool and why


 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet, identify the colors used for all the local teams you listed in the previous project, looking for a pattern. (Ex: NY Knicks, Islanders and Mets all using Blue and Orange) Once research is completed, select a 2 color scheme for your franchise. Using WordArt or any Internet font creation site, write out your full team name (city/state and nickname) in the font and colors you have decided on. Remember to use your notes and lessons from class when including your rationale for your selections!

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place all color and font research on handout provided in your “H” drive. Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 4: Creation of a Logo and Mascot**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn the Marketing fundamentals involved in the creation of professional sports team’s logo.


 * Goals:** At the culmination of this lesson, students will choose a logo for their franchise. Students must remember that their selection should not only be creative, appropriate for merchandise and also appealing to the target market.

F Class discussion on what makes a logo appealing F Article handout on Native American logo usage F Guest speaker from Narragansett Indian Tribe discussing their views on American professional sports teams using Native American logos. F Note Handout “Team Logo Creation” F Internet article on Baltimore Ravens copyright infringement lawsuit F Set up of a “Google Alert” to let them know of any logo changes happening in sports
 * Pre-Activities:** F Students brainstorm which NFL logos they like the best


 * Writing Assignment:** Using the Internet for clipart, or any graphic design program (Photoshop, Microsoft paint, etc.) you are to create a team logo for your franchise. Please keep in mind the copyright laws and issues we discussed in class. The picture you use CAN’T be copyrighted or in use by ANY professional or collegiate sports team. The logo must be in your team colors, and must include your team name in the font you selected from the previous project. Remember to include your rationale behind logo choice.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Place your logo on the Microsoft Word document I placed into your “H” drive. Please DO NOT change the size of the logo circle! Assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 5: Creating a Team Blog**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn how to create a blog for their mock franchise using blogger.com. In addition, students will learn both the personal and business uses of a blog.


 * Goals:** Students will complete this lesson with the creation of a team blog. Each team’s blog will have a multitude of purposes. Each student will be able to use their team blog in the manner of their choice.

F Note Handout on “What Exactly is a Blog?” F Students will have lab time to examine a few sports blogs including projo.com blog and espn.go.com blog as well as any others that they choose to view. F Each student will individually complete a blog tutorial such as http://blogplates.net/tutorials.html, http://www.blogbasics.com/blog-setup-blogger.php, http://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g, or one found on their own.
 * Pre-Activities:** F Class discussion about what a blog is exactly, how many have used a blog before, how many have read a blog before, etc.


 * Writing Assignment:** Using blogger.com, your assignment is to create a team blog for your mock franchise. Please check handout I placed in your “h” drive for all blog project details. Some of the details include:

F Each student must make a minimum of 1 post a week F Posts can be player oriented or team oriented. F Player oriented posts examples are: stats, injuries, suspensions, trades, etc. F Team oriented posts examples are: ticket promotions, sponsorship deals, team corporate events. F Blog must be created within 1 week of fantasy football class draft. F As the semester moves on, blog lessons will be taught to introduce new blog “tricks” F In addition, all students will be responsible for commenting on a minimum of 2 classmate’s blogs per week. Keep in mind our rules for responsible blogging.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Once your blog is complete, please place your blog URL on the space I provided on our class bulletin board. Once all class blogs are complete, you should begin posting and commenting. The general structure of your blog will be graded on the following scale: √+


 * Lesson 6: Building a Stadium**


 * Introduction:** Students will learn all the details involved in the creation of a professional sports stadium. Lesson will start with the planning stages and eventually conclude with sponsorships deals and agreements.


 * Goals:** Students will complete this lesson and entire “Image Branding” unit with the planning and building/drawing of their own franchise sports stadium.

F Note Handout and PowerPoint Slide show on “Stadium Creation” F Jigsaw an Article from “Sports Business Journal” that ranks the importance of certain amenities in stadiums F Class field trip to Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium in NY to tour the facilities and ask any relevant questions (students may take pictures and create a slide presentation for extra credit) F 20 minutes of class time to view [|www.stadiumsofnfl.com] and [|www.ballparks.com] to brainstorm ideas F 20 minutes of class time to view “Google Earth” images of professional sports stadiums from aerial views. (Usually extended to 40-60 minutes because of class excitement with this technology!!)
 * Pre-Activities:** F Class discussion centered on students personal experiences with professional ballparks, stadiums and arenas…likes and dislikes


 * Writing Assignment:** Use any site you can find on the internet to research past and present professional football stadiums. Answer all questions on the handout I placed in your “H” drive. This handout is designed to help develop stadium ideas for your mid-term stadium project. When conducting research and completing handout, pay special attention to such items as: location of entrances, restrooms, concessions, ticket prices and locations, special gimmicks (ex: Buccaneers Cove at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa) etc.

=100, the √= 80 and the √- = 60.
 * Assessment:** Complete Stadium Creation handout in its entirety and hand in for credit. Like always, assignment will be graded on the following scale: √+
 * Conclusion of Unit:** “Creation and Image Branding of a Sports Franchise” unit is concluded with a large mid-term stadium building project. This project is graded on a fairly large rubric and is counted as 10% of their final course grade. Each class member must construct a stadium for their franchise to play in. All stadiums must have 3 views: From Above, From the Front and Google Earth (students must use Google Earth to find an actual plot of land in their city that is suitable for stadium construction). Stadiums can either be built (Lego’s, Popsicle sticks, Styrofoam, Wood blocks, etc) drawn by hand, or drawn using a graphic program like Photoshop, Paint or Google Sketch Pad, etc. Students are required to share their stadiums with the class in an informal presentation so that details can be explained and questions can be asked.


 * The Rhode Island Project**

**4th Grade Teacher**4th Grade Teacher

 * Ashaway Elementary School**
 * Ashaway, Rhode Island 02804**
 * Clare.Ornburn@chariho.k12.ri.us**

=Introduction=

During the course of this unit 4th grade students will be learning about all aspects of the state of Rhode Island. They will research all of the counties of the state and the differences between these counties. They will discuss how different cultural aspects have shaped each county. Through their research they will learn about the historical people and places that each county is known for. Students will learn about the different industries the state of Rhode Island is known for and how those industries shaped our state as well as the early United States. This unit will be on going through out the school year and will culminate with the creation of an on-line travel brochure that may be used by people wanting to visit Rhode Island or simply learn more about what our state has to offer.


 * Standards Addressed in this unit:**

SS/US/4.0: The student understands the emerging factors that contributed to the early development of the United States.

SS/US/6.0: The student understands the transformation of the United States through industrialization.

SS/WG/1.0: The student understands how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, organize, and report information from a spatial perspective.

SS/WG/2.0: The student understands how physical and human characteristics shape a place.

SS/WG/4.0: The student understands how culture influences people’s perception of places and regions.

Technology communications tools/4.0 Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.

ELA/RD/3.0: (E1c) The student reads and comprehends informational materials to develop understanding and expertise and produces written or oral work. (ES, MS, HS) ELA/RD/5.0: (E1d) The student demonstrates familiarity with a variety of public documents and produces written or oral work. (MS) ELA/WR/11.0: (E2a) The student produces a report. (ES, MS, HS) ELA/SLV/18.0: (E3b) The student participates in-group meetings. (ES, MS, HS) ELA/CGU/22.0: (E4a) The student demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work and selects the structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context of the work. (ES, MS, HS) ELA/CGU/23.0: (E4b) The student analyzes and subsequently revises work to clarify it or make it more effective in communicating the intended message or thought. (ES, MS, HS)

Goals of this unit: Students will…
· Identify Rhode Island symbols. · Students use telecommunications tools (online discussions and Web environments) and online resources for collaborative projects with other students inside and outside the classroom who are studying similar curriculum-related content. · Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
 * Describe similarities and differences in the ways people live in Rhode Island.
 * Understand ethnic origins and identify ethnic groups of Rhode Island.
 * Explain the history of Rhode Island past and present.
 * Use the Big 6 method to research historical places in Rhode Island such as the State House. (E2a)
 * Compare and contrast the lives of Americans who influence the development of Rhode Island.
 * Locate various landforms and bodies of water in Rhode Island.
 * Identify geographic boundaries in villages, towns, cities, and counties. Identify Rhode Island historical and cultural groups.
 * Analyze current events in Rhode Island.
 * Describe changes in Rhode Island that have occurred over time. Compare organizations established in Rhode Island.
 * Use the Big 6 method to research various groups that were established in Rhode Island. (E2a) Explain the structure of Rhode Island’s state government.
 * Discuss the roles of elected officials in Rhode Island.
 * Discuss the economic growth of Rhode Island over time.
 * Explain the economics of Rhode Island.
 * Discuss the impact of transportation on Rhode Island waterways.
 * Restate and summarize information (main ideas, supportive details)
 * Relate new information to prior knowledge and experience
 * Extend ideas
 * Make connections to related topics or information
 * Compare information found in maps, charts, tables, graphs, diagrams, etc.
 * Produce an expressive, imaginative, and informative piece of writing

=Pre-Activities=

=Rhode Island KWL Chart=

Each student will be given a hard copy of a KWL chart (what I **k**now, what I **w**ant to know, what I **l**earned). On an overhead we will fill in the **//What I know//** and **//What I want to know//** portions of the chart. This will help me assess where I need to begin activate any prior knowledge my students may have.

=Rhode Island Scavenger Hunt=

To begin this unit and introduce the state of Rhode Island students will participate in a Rhode Island scavenger hunt. This will familiarize the students with the state’s counties, cities, towns, landforms, and bodies of water. Students will be given a tourist map of the state of Rhode Island and a copy of the following worksheet. They will work in partners or small groups to locate the places on the worksheet. They will use sticky notes to mark each item on their maps.

Once all groups have completed the scavenger hunt we will meet in the larger group to compare results and review the information on the worksheet. Students will correct their work and change any incorrect answers on their maps. This work sheet will be used as a study guide for the first Rhode Island quiz.

Rhode Island Scavenger Hunt
1. Find the grid coordinates for each of the 8 Rhode Island cities. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 2. Name a bay, an ocean, and a sound that are in our around Rhode Island. 1. 2. 3. 3. What are the coordinates for Ashaway?

4. Name 2 multi-lane highways in Rhode Island. 1. 2. 3. 5. What city is east of the island of Jamestown?

6. What is the northern most city in Rhode Island?

7. What 2 states border Rhode Island? 1. 2. 8.On what island is the town of New Shoreham found?

=Rhode Island State Symbol and Trivia Quiz= [|www.chariho.k12.ri.us/faculty/riordan/ri/index.html]

This is a site developed by a retired Chariho teacher. The quiz reviews the state symbols and gives a brief account of why each symbol was chosen. It also goes through some Rhode Island trivia and tells some interesting and lesser-known information about our state.


 * Rhode Island Cities and Towns Quiz**

On this same site is a cities and towns quiz. The quiz goes through some interesting information about Rhode Island and gives students a sense of how Rhode Island developed through the years. In this section of the Website is also a listing of all the cities and counties in with links to each of their websites. This site will become a valuable resource when students begin their research and development of their brochure.

=Return to KWL Chart=

At this point we will now revisit the chart again and fill in anything that we think may important in the **//What I learned//** portion of the chart. We are now ready for our first writing prompt on our classroom blog.

The Project Begins
=The Blog=

[|www.mrsornburns4thgrade.blogspot.com]


 * Writing Prompt #1**

Now it is time for the first writing prompt. All prompts will be conducted on our classroom blog. The first prompt will be pretty general. “What is your favorite place in Rhode Island and why?” All students will be required to respond on the blog. If they do not have internet access at home, class time will be allotted for this activity. Students may also use the Library/Media Center computers to fulfill this requirement. I will assess these prompts on the 6+1 write traits rubric developed by the Ashaway Elementary School teachers. Students will have a copy of this rubric in their writing folders

=The Wiki=

I will develop a wiki page that will introduce our Rhode Island brochure. Students will be put in small groups and each group will be assigned a county of Rhode Island: Providence, Kent, Bristol, Washington, and Newport.

As each group gathers information about their county they will develop their own wiki page that will be linked from my page. Students will have access to their page from home or from school. With each research assignment the county pages will grow with information that the students find. Each group member will assigned a job with in the research. The county pages will grow through out the year with each new research assignment.

The end result will be a wiki brochure about Rhode Island and it’s counties. It will include historic information, economy, government, industry, and tourist attractions including the lighthouses of Rhode Island. Each research assignment will be graded with the following rubric.


 * Good (4-5 points) ||
 * Fair (2-3 points) ||
 * Poor (0-1 point) ||
 * || Content ||
 * · Content is appropriate to the assigned topic. ||
 * · Most of the content is appropriate to the assigned topic. ||
 * · Content does not relate to the assigned topic. ||
 * || Accuracy ||
 * · All information is accurate is linked to a coinciding Website. ||
 * * Most information is accurate and linked to a coinciding Website. || * Information is not accurate or is not linked to a coinciding Website. ||
 * Creativity ||
 * * Information is displayed in a very creative manner. (photos, video clips, podcasts) ||
 * * Some information is displayed creatively. || * Information is displayed in a very routine manner. ||
 * || Conventions ||
 * * All grammar, spelling, and capitalization are correct. ||
 * * Most grammar, spelling and capitalization are correct.. ||
 * · There are many grammar, spelling, and capitalization errors ||
 * · There are many grammar, spelling, and capitalization errors ||

=The Research=


 * Assignment #1**

The first research assignment will be to find the towns and cities of their county and the significant historical people, places, or events that are connected with these cities or towns.

Reading: Something Upstairs__, Avi__ Finding Providence, the story of Roger Williams
 * Extensions:**

__Possible field trips:__ __Slater Mill, Pawtucket__ __Gilbert Stuart Birthplace, Saunderstown__ __Astor’s Beechwood Mansion, Newport__ __Avi tour, Providence Historical Society__ __John Brown House, Providence Preservation Society__

__Assignment #2__

__Choose 3 towns or cities in your county and research the government. Please include how the town is run, who the state representatives are for the city or town, and who are the current leaders in the town.__

__**Extensions:**__ __Guest speakers:__ __Ashaway town council president__ __State Representatives from Hopkinton__ __Senator Jack Reed__

__Possible Field trip:__ __Rhode Island State House, Providence__

Back to the Blog
Writing Prompt #2

Choose a town or city in your county and write a “noun” poem. Step1: Begin your poem with the name of your town or city. Step 2 Find 10 nouns that best represent your town or city, for example if I was doing Westerly I might choose the word carousel because one of the oldest carousels in the country is locate there. Step 3 Match each noun with an adjective(s) that best describe the noun, i.e.; historical, wooden carousel. Step 4: End your poem with the name of your town or city.

Share your poem on the blog and let us know what you think of other people’s poems.

Record your poem and podcast it from your wiki page.
 * Extension:**

=Research=

Assignment #3

Research the lighthouses in your county. Find several pictures of your lighthouse(s). If possible, get pictures from different angles. Find the following information about your lighthouse: Post this information on your wiki page.
 * Who/what it is named after
 * Whether or not it is still working
 * Location
 * Any other interesting bits of information

Science connection: Construct a working model of a lighthouse in your county. You may use any materials of your choosing. Try to be creative! It needs to “look” like the lighthouse you chose; however, it needn’t be an expensive venture. Use the knowledge you have about creating a closed circuit and a switch to help you with the wiring. I will supply you with a light bulb, wire, and a battery. You will be graded with the following rubric on this assignment.

· Whether it is still working. · Location of light house · Extra information. · More than one picture of the lighthouse is included. || · Lighthouse lights up. ||
 * Good (4-5 points) ||
 * Fair (2-3 points) ||
 * Poor (0-1 point) ||
 * || Information ||
 * · Who or what the lighthouse is named for.
 * · Who or what the lighthouse is named for.
 * · It is unclear how the lighthouse received its name.
 * It is unclear if the lighthouse is still working.
 * The location is not accurate
 * There may not be any extra information.
 * There is one picture of the lighthouse. ||
 * · There is no information about the name.
 * There is no information about whether it still works.
 * There is no information about the location.
 * There is no extra information.
 * There is no picture. ||
 * Lighthouse ||
 * · Lighthouse model strongly resembles the actual lighthouse.
 * * The lighthouse model somewhat resembles the actual lighthouse.
 * The lighthouse is wired, but does not light up. || * The model does not resemble the actual lighthouse at all.
 * The lighthouse is not wired. ||
 * Presentation ||
 * * Project is original, creative, and colorful.
 * Project is well thought out and put together.
 * Project is handed in on time. ||
 * * Project could be more creative and colorful.
 * More thought should have gone into the project.
 * Project is one day late. || * Project lacks creativity.
 * Very little thought has gone into this project.
 * Project is more than one day late. ||
 * || Conventions ||
 * * There are little or no spelling, punctuation, or grammar mistakes.
 * All information is written in complete sentences. || * There are some spelling, punctuation, or grammar mistakes.
 * Some things are not written in complete sentences. || * There are many spelling, punctuation, or grammar mistakes.
 * Most things are not written in complete sentences. ||

Extensions: Create a slide show of photographs for your wiki page showing your lighthouse from different views. Travel to your lighthouse to learn more about it. Assignment #4


 * Research the major industry in your county. Are there any mills? Are the mills still running, and if so what do they produce. If the mills are closed, is there anything in those buildings now? What about tourism? Several of our counties depend on tourism as a major industry. What attractions are in your county that might be of interest to people visiting Rhode Island? Post your information on your wiki page.**

Blog Entry

 * Writing prompt #3**

If you were a tourist, where in Rhode Island would you like to visit? Why would you want to go to this place? Have you ever been there before?

Conclusion
As the school year progresses students will continue to research different aspects of Rhode Island. Each research project will be posted on the wiki as part of our online Rhode Island brochure. Wiki pages will have links to websites that tell about different places in Rhode Island. Students will continue to blog about Rhode Island and respond to my posts. This project will be assessed with each research assignment and each writing prompt. My plan would be that this could be an ongoing project from year to year with each class adding more to the wiki as we continue our research about Rhode Island.

Donna McMullin Media Specialist J.P. Case School Flemington, NJ 08869 dmcmulli@frsd.k12.nj.us //Well, somebody had to go first :-)// //I have enjoyed exchanging ideas with my fellow elearners and wish you all well with your wiki and blogging endeavors. My final project is in the form of a proposal to our district’s local professional development committee (LPDC) requesting district meeting time – and professional development credit - to offer this study for interested teachers. The communication tool I’ve chosen is a blog, but I did deliberate over whether or not a wiki would have been a better choice. I went with the blog because I think it is easier to use than a wiki.//


 * Proposal for LPDC Committee**


 * Donna McMullin & Cherylann Verrelli**


 * Participants:** Language Arts Literacy teachers grades 5 -8, special education teachers grades 5-8, and media specialists at J.P. Case and RFIS


 * Purpose:** To build a professional learning community at FRSD composed of language arts literacy teachers, special education teachers, and media specialists in the intermediate and middle schools whose mission is to ensure continuous student learning for our students, and foster learning and continuous improvement among staff members.

Our professional learning community will explore the question: As children approach adolescence (‘tweens), why do some continue to read and seem to actually devour books while the majority read less and less until reading is a chore relegated to textbooks and required novels? Teachers and media specialists will be asked to read the book //Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers// by Teri Lesesne. Copies of the book will be purchased with a PTO grant and distributed to teachers prior to the end of 2006-2007 school year. Teachers will be asked to bring //Naked Reading// and their curriculum guides to the inservice held in the JP Case media center. After the initial inservice day in the fall, teachers will share ideas through a learning community blog hosted by Donna McMullin, and there will be a concluding 90 minute meeting in the spring. The objectives of the learning community will be to apply strategies discussed in the book in our classrooms, share the results of strategies used, and discuss strategies that we’ve developed to help our students become lifelong readers. Our hypothesis is that by focusing on independent reading, our students will continue to read through their ‘tween years, and as an added benefit over time, NJASK and GEPA scores will improve. We all know that reading is important to student achievement. However, during the important years between grades 5-8, recreational reading decreases dramatically and continues to decline into high school. “Generally, the more students read for fun on their own time, the higher their reading scores. A recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) study found that between 1984 and 1999, however, the percentage of twelfth-graders who reported that they "never" or "hardly ever" read for fun increased from 9 percent to 16 percent” (NEA Children’s Literacy__. National Education Association).__ __Additionally, the National Academy of Science’s //Becoming a Nation of Readers// recommends sustained silent reading in the classroom, “Research suggests that the amount of independent, silent reading children do in school is significantly related to gains in reading achievement” (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, and Wilkinson, 1985, p. 76).__ __"Research has shown that reading ability is positively correlated with the extent to which students read recreationally. In 1994, 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students who reported reading for fun at least once a week had higher average reading proficiency scores than students who reported never or hardly ever reading for fun” (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997).__
 * Research Which Supports Our Objective:**

__“In one year, those students who read the most minutes per day read 2.3 million more words than the students who read the least. The report can be summarized this way: student reading time is directly related to that student's gains in comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed. Of all outside-school activities (chart below), reading was the best predictor of growth in reading skills between second and fifth grades. In other words, reading is an accrued skill; those who read the most, read the best, although the report does concede there come a point of diminishing returns where the amount of reading does nothing to improve scores. Left unexamined is what that large amount of reading does to reinforce the pleasure connection between child and print, while adding to background knowledge (depending on the kind of material read).”__ and gains in reading comprehension ||
 * **Correlation between out-of-school activities**
 * || **Home Activities** ||
 * **negative** ||
 * **positive** ||
 * || Chores ||
 * **.07** ||
 * || Homework ||
 * **.19** ||
 * || TV viewing ||
 * **.17** ||
 * Listening to music ||
 * **.13** ||
 * Hobbies ||
 * || **.05** ||
 * || Reading book ||
 * || **.29** ||
 * || Reading periodicals ||
 * || **.07** ||
 * || Family dining ||
 * || **.14** ||
 * || Reading book ||
 * || **.29** ||
 * || Reading periodicals ||
 * || **.07** ||
 * || Family dining ||
 * || **.14** ||

(Anderson et al, 1988).

Finally, “Time spent reading is associated with attitudes towards additional reading. Students who habitually read in the present tend to seek out new materials in the future. These students are on their way to being lifelong readers” (Moore et al, 1999).


 * Course of Study**

//**Future Look (for January session)**// //For next session:// //What if any new strategies have you tried since October// //How are these strategies fitting into curriculum/state standards//
 * First session – suggested date - October 16th (3 hr session) (early dismissal day)**
 * Concerns and comments about "Tween readers"
 * Discussion on Naked Reading
 * Current classroom practices
 * Community Blog – what it is, how to use it
 * What’s new in the field of children’s literature: Highlights of new fiction titles and fiction recommendations from the floor


 * Second session - suggested date - January 29th 3 hr session (early dismissal day)**
 * Classroom strategies from Lesesne implemented since October
 * Teacher strategies implemented since October
 * Coordinating strategies with curriculum/state standards
 * What if any professional articles and resources were read on 'tween literacy: discussion of the current literature
 * Book Talking: Tips and **Resources**

//Keeping kids reading in the summer//
 * //Future Look (for May session)//**
 * //Graphic Novels//**


 * Third session - closure in May (1 hour )**
 * **Graphic novels as a genre of literature**
 * Summer reading – keeping it fun, keeping kids reading
 * Comments from the group
 * Closing remarks


 * Resources**

Allington, Richard (Ed.). (2002). //Big brother and the national reading curriculum: How// //ideology trumped evidence//. Portsmouth, NH: Heineman.

Anderson, R, Fielding, L, & Wilson, P (1988). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. //Reading Research Quarterly//. //33//, 285-303.

Eaker, R., DuFour, R., & Burnette, R. (2002). //Getting started: re-culturing schools to// //become professional learning communities.// Bloomington, IN: National Education Service.

Moore, D., Bean, T., Birdyshaw, D., & Rycik, J. (1999). //Adolescent literacy: a// //position statement for the commission of adolescent literacy of the International Reading Association.// Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

National Center for Education Statistics. (1997). //The condition of education, 1997// (NCES 97388). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

NEA Children’s Literacy: The Bases of Learning__. 2002 – 2006. National Education Association. 2 May 2007 <[|http://www.nea.org/events/literacy.html>.]__

__Final Project- EDC921__ __**Trish Degnan**__ __Technology Educator__ __//Woonsocket Public Schools//__ __Woonsocket, RI 02895__ ride0605@ride.ri.net

__**Introduction:** “We Wonder Wiki”__ __My final project is a proposal for a wiki to be used by my elementary technology students, grades one through five, to respond to literature and informational texts.__

__**Goals:**__ __• Students will become familiar with Web 2.0 through the use of blogs and wikis.__ __• Each grade level will respond to a piece of literature on my [|blog] which will be linked to the wiki. The wiki will be used to post the literature (as a slide show or a movie), illustrations the students may create, explanations of the lessons, extensions, criteria and procedural charts, rubrics, links, and blogging guidelines for our school.__

__**Pre- Activities:**__ __• Students will view a piece of literature, either on Power Point or Quicktime. (see “Lessons” below)__ __• Students will examine my blog and discuss. All classes will generate an “Our Blogging Guidelines” document and sign a contract. This will be in addition to the district’s [|Acceptable Use Policy] and will be signed by parents also.__

__**Writing Assignments**__ __• Each grade level will respond to a specific question about the piece of literature. (see below)__

__**Extensions and Adaptation**s__ __• This will be a fall activity and all classes will begin with the response to literature. Extensions could include responses to other pieces, independent student use of the blog to respond and wonder, optional use of the blog by the classroom teacher, and a response to informational text as a second technology project.__ __• Adaptations may include posting in Spanish, kid writing, partnered response__

__**Assessment:**__ __• Each grade level will follow a procedural chart and each response will be assessed with a criteria based rubric.__

__**Other:**__ __//GLEs// http://www.ridoe.com/Instruction/gle.aspx__

__• Structures of Language – Applying Understanding of Sentences, Paragraphs, Text Structures (W-1)__ __• Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text – Showing Understanding of Ideas in Text (W-2)__ __• Writing in Response to Literary or Informational Text – Making Analytical Judgments about Text (W-3) (grades 2-5)__ __• Writing Conventions – Applying Rules of Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (W-9.3-9.5) (grades 4-5)__

__//**Lessons:**//__

__**Grade 1:**__ No David __by David Shannon__

__//Goal:// Students will independently view__ No David __on Power Point and respond to the question:__ __“Why do you think David is being naughty?”__

__//Pre-Activities:// watch the power point as a class first; mini-lesson on how to navigate through a power point; discussion on inferences and prior knowledge on why a child would misbehave; mini lesson on how to type a sentence; Kid Pix drawing tips__

__W//riting Assignment//: Why do you think David is being naughty? Respond in one sentence using the sentence starter: I think David is acting naughty because… Students will type and illustrate their sentence and Kid Pix 3. Students will need to infer their answer since there are no words in No David. Class will brainstorm a list of reasons why a child might misbehave. I will post the Kid Pix responses as a slideshow to the wiki.__

__//Extensions//: Students will respond to a different piece of literature but this time to the blog. They will again illustrate in Kid Pix.__

__//Assessment//: Gr 1 Sentence Criteria (my document)__ __¸ the sentence makes sense__ __¸ begins with an UPPER CASE letter__ __¸ ends with a period (. ! ? )__ __¸ type one space between the words__ __¸ spell most words correctly__ __¸ type your name correctly__

__//Time:// 2 forty-minute technology classes__ __//GLE//: W–1–1__ __Students demonstrate command__ __of the structures of sentences,__ __paragraphs, and text by…__ __• W–1–1.1 Writing__ __recognizable short sentences__

__**Grade 2**:__ Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears __by Verna Aardema, Leo Dillon, Diane Dillon__

__//Goal:// Students will independently view the Quicktime movie (available at United Streaming) and post their response to the following question on the blog:__ __“According to the story, why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears?”__

__//Pre-Activities//: discussion of legends and folktales; mini-lesson on how to use Quicktime Viewer or Windows Media Player; review on basic word processing tasks and sentence structure; mini-lesson on how to post to the blog; “What is a Blog” lesson and create “Our Blogging Guidelines” document for Grade 2__

__//Writing Assignment:// Answer the question in two or three sentences using evidence from the story. Students will type directly to the blog.__

__//Extensions//: examine more folktales and legends; spellcheck and how to copy and paste from Word to the blog; science: use the following sites posted to the Wiki to collect facts about mosquitoes; create an informational Kid Pix slide show about mosquitoes to be posted to the wiki__ __http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040811/Feature1.asp__ __http://www.mosquitobuzz.com/facts/index.html__

__//Assessment//: Gr 2 Sentence Criteria (my document)__ __¸ sentences make sense and use appropriate details__ __¸ begin with an UPPER CASE letters__ __¸ use upper case letter for proper nouns__ __¸ sentences end with end marks__ __¸ type one space between the words and sentences__ __¸ spell most words correctly__

__//Time:// 2 forty-minute technology classes__ __//GLEs//:__ __W–2–1__ __Students demonstrate command__ __of the structures of sentences,__ __paragraphs, and text by…__ __W–2–1.1 Writing short sentences__ __W-2--9.4 Using correct end__ __punctuation in simple__ __sentences (e.g., period)__ __W–2–3__ __In response to literary or__ __informational text, students__ __make and support analytical__ __judgments about text by…__ __W—2—3.3 Using details or__ __references to text to support a__ __given focus (Note: support may__ __include prior knowledge)__

__**Grade 3:**__ The Pain and the Great One __by Judy Blume__

__//Goal//: Students will independently view the Power Point of__ The Pain and the Great One __and post their responses to the following question on the blog:__ __“Are you the Pain, the Great One or both?”__

__//Pre-Activities//: discuss making a text to self connection; discuss other family structures that might have a pain and a great one; review how to navigate through a Power Point; review on basic word processing tasks and sentence structure; mini-lesson on how to post to the blog; “What is a Blog” lesson and create “Our Blogging Guidelines” document for Grade 3__

__//Writing Assignment//: Are you the pain or the great one or a combination of both? Can you make any text to self connections? Answer these questions on the blog, making sure to cite a happening from the text.__

__//Extensions//: Tell Us About Your Favorite Judy Blume Story to be posted to the blog;__

__//Assessment//: Follow the Gr 3 Blogging Guidelines and__ __¸ sentences make sense and use appropriate structure__ __¸ use proper sentence mechanics (upper case, punctuation, spelling)__ __¸ type one space between the words and sentences__ __¸ cite evidence from the text__

__//Time//: 2 forty-minute technology classes__ __//GLEs//:__ __W–3–9__ __In independent writing,__ __students demonstrate command__ __of appropriate English__ __conventions by…__ __W–3–9.2 Using capital letters__ __for the beginning of sentences__ __and names (Local)__ __W–3–3__ __In response to literary or__ __informational text, students__ __make and support analytical__ __judgments about text by…__ __W–3–3.3 Using details or__ __references to text to support__ __focus (Note: support may__ __include prior knowledge)__

__**Grade 4:**__ The Frog Prince Continued __by John Sceizka__

__//Goal:// Students will independently view the Power Point of__ The Frog Prince Continued__, highlight text and take notes within the slideshow and post their responses to the blog:__ __“How many fairy tales does John Sceizka refer to in his story, The Frog Prince Continued?”__

__//Pre-Activities//: discussion the author’s other works; brainstorm a list of fairytales; watch the Power Point as a class first; mini-lesson on how to highlight text and add notes to a Power Point; review basic word processing tasks and sentence structure; mini-lesson on how to post to the blog; “What is a Blog” lesson and create “Our Blogging Guidelines” document for Grade 4__

__//Writing Assignment//: Cite one or two* fairytales the author refers to and include evidence from the text to support your answer. Use the notes you made in the Power Point to aide you in posting to the blog.__ __*you may list them all__

__//Extensions//: author study on John Sceizka to be posted to the wiki; write your own fairytale or “Fairly Stupid Tale”; write a paragraph in Word using the notes from the Power Point using the Response Criteria (my document); lesson on how to copy and paste from Word into the blog__

__//Assessment//: Follow the Gr 4 Blogging Guidelines and__ __¸ sentences make sense and use appropriate structure__ __¸ use proper sentence mechanics (upper case, punctuation, spelling)__ __¸ type one space between the words and sentences__ __¸ cite evidence from the text__

__//Time//: 2 forty-minute technology classes__ __//GLEs//:__ __W–4–1__ __Students demonstrate command__ __of the structures of sentences,__ __paragraphs, and text by…__ __W–4–1.1 Writing a variety of complete__ __simple and compound sentences__

__W–4–3__ __In response to literary or__ __informational text, students__ __make and support analytical__ __judgments about text by…__ __W–4–3.3 Using specific__ __details and references to text__ __to support focus__

__**Grade 5**:__ The Stranger __by Chris Van Allsburg__

__//Goal//: Students will view the Power Point of__ The Stranger__, highlight text and take notes within the slideshow and write a response in paragraph form citing evidence from the text to support their answer. Responses will then be copied and pasted into the blog.__ __“Who is the stranger in Chris Van Allsburg’s story, The Stranger?”__

__//Pre-Activities//: watch the Power Point as a class first and discuss the setting; mini-lesson on how to highlight text and add notes to a Power Point; review on basic paragraph structure; discussion and examples of how to cite evidence and provide an explanation of it; review copy/paste and how to post to the blog; “What is a Blog” lesson and create “Our Blogging Guidelines” document for Grade 5__

__//Writing Assignment//: Write a one paragraph response to answer the question. Use evidence from the text and explain your thinking. Copy and Paste your response into the blog.__

__//Extensions//: second blog post- “Did we miss anything?”’ research the legend of Jack Frost to post to the wiki; author study; science connection on snow and crystals__

__//Assessment//: Response Rubrics-The Stranger (my document)__ __My response is in paragraph form.__ __Topic Sentence__ __• tells main idea of the paragraph__ __Supporting Details__ __• add at least three detail sentences (facts)__ __• details support your main idea (they use evidence from the text) and are in your own words__ __• explain your reasons/thinking__ __Ending Sentence__ __• ends the paragraph by using ideas from the topic sentence__ __Remember to:__ __• Indent the paragraph__ __• Use end marks and other punctuation__ __• Use capital letters when needed__ __• Spell words correctly__ __• Use one space between words and sentences__

__//Time//: 4 forty-minute technology classes__ __//GLEs//:__ __W–5–1__ __Students demonstrate command__ __of the structures of sentences,__ __paragraphs, and text by…__ __W–5–1.2 Using the paragraph__ __form: indenting, main idea,__ __supporting details__ __W–5–3__ __In response to literary or__ __informational text, students__ __make and support analytical__ __judgments about text by…__ __• W–5–3.1 Stating and__ __maintaining a focus (purpose)__ __when responding to a given a__ __question__ __W–5–3.3 Using specific__ __details and references to text__ __or citations to support focus__ __Writing Conventions – Applying Rules of Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (W-9.3-9.5)__

__**Conclusion**: This is a proposal and would be a work in progress- ever changing and always adjusted!__

__Tom Carney__ __7th Grade ELA__ __Jamestown Schools- Lawn__ __Jamestown, RI 02871__ __[[mailto:ride8398@ride.ri.netEDC921|ride8398@ride.ri.net]]__ __EDC921 Final Project__ __Mr. Dave Fontaine__

Unit Introduction __In this unit the students will be learning how to use blogs and wikis in the context of a literature circles unit. The students will pick one of the following books: //Gathering Blue// by Lois Lowry, //Of Mice and Men// by John Steinbeck, //Lord of the Flies// by William Golding, or__ Unit Goals __The students will improve upon their understanding of the novel by answering online prompts during the course of the reading, posting questions/comments/ideas/reflections about the reading to the blog and/or the wiki, and extending classroom discussions into online discussions through the use of the blog and the wiki. Students will gain an understanding of the educational value of these online tools and how to use them.__ __GLEs covered:__ __R-7-4: Students demonstrate initial understanding of elements of literary texts.__ __R-7-5: Students analyze and interpret elements of literary texts, citing evidence where appropriate.__ __R-7-6: Students analyze and interpret author’s craft, citing evidence where appropriate.__ __W-7-1: Students demonstrate command of the structures of sentences, paragraphs, and text.__ __W-7-2: In response to literary or informational text, students show understanding of plot/ideas/concepts.__ __W-7-3: In response to literary or informational text, students make and support analytical judgments about text.__

Lesson 1 __(1-2 days)__ __Introduction: The students will each pick a novel from the above list to read for the duration of the unit. The students will form into literature circle groups based on the novel that they are reading. The school’s “Filtering and Monitoring Policy” will be reviewed for the students and they will have the opportunity to ask questions. They will then learn about blogs and more specifically, the class blog.__ __Goals: The students will gain an understanding about what blogs are and how to use them. They will answer questions, read the comments of other students, and post comments on their own at least twice per week throughout the unit.__ __Pre-Activities: The class will view a brief presentation on blogs. The students will learn how to access the class blog as well as how to post comments to it. The blog will contain four links, each link connecting to a page for a specific book. The students will make their first post during this session, answering the prompt: Based on the title and the cover of the novel, what do you predict that the story will be about? They will then research background information about the author of the novel as a pre-reading strategy.__ __Writing Assignments:__ Extension/Adaptation: Students that are struggling readers will have access to supports such as audio recordings and assistance from the reading specialist and/or the teacher/aide. Students that do not have access to the internet at home will be given the opportunity to submit their posts during the school day and will be given extensions as appropriate. Assessment: Students will be graded for each of the three writing assignments with the standard homework grade of a check plus, check, check minus, or zero.
 * 1) Answer the prompt for the first post.
 * 2) Twice each week (on assigned days), the students must visit the class blog, answer the posted questions, make additional comments or ask questions, and make an effort to participate in the online discussion with their peers.
 * 3) Journal entry- “How are blogs going to change education and the sharing of information in the near future?

Lesson 2 __(1-2 Days)__ __Introduction: The students will learn basic information about wikis and how to use them. A class wiki will be established specifically for insights and discussions on themes within each novel and will be kept for future classes to elaborate on, alter, and benefit from an ongoing compilation of information. Each student will be required to make at least two posts throughout the unit.__ __Goals: The class will learn about wikis and how they are used.__ __Pre-Activities: The students will view a brief presentation on wikis. Then we will access several wikis online and look at the aspects that differentiate wikis from blogs. The class will then go to the wiki page for their novel and ask questions as needed.__ __Writing Assignments:__ Assessment: Students will be graded for each of the writing assignments with the standard homework grade of a check plus, check, check minus, or zero.
 * 1) Journal entry- “What are the major differences between a blog and a wiki? What are the benefits/drawbacks of each?”
 * 2) Throughout the unit, each student must make at least two posts to the wiki for their novel, addressing a particular theme or other deeper forms of analysis. This is not included in the final post to the wiki, which is a formal writing assignment.

Lesson 3 __(12-15 Days)__ __Introduction- While reading the novel, the students will alternate between classroom discussions and posts to the blog each week (this will be important with our new schedule, in which we only meet in class every other day). The posts to the wiki can be made at any time.__ __Goals- The students will learn how to post comments to a blog and to interact with each other by asking/answering questions in an online forum.__ __Pre-Activities: The students will log on to the established classroom blog and will be shown how to post comments to it. Throughout the remainder of the unit they will post questions/comments at least twice per week making connections between their research and the novel.__ __Writing Assignments:__ Extension and Adaptation: The prompts for each of the novels will vary and will appear each night that a post is assigned. Some examples of prompts that will be used are as follows: Assessment: Students will be graded for each of the two weekly posts with the standard homework grade of a check plus, check, check minus, or zero. The final post be a book review of the novel, and will receive a formal writing grade of a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 based on the established writing rubric.
 * 1) Two posts per week to the class blog, answering the prompt on the page and making additional comments.
 * What facts about the author’s reason(s) for writing the novel were you able to discover? Does the novel connect to a particular time period or actual people/events?
 * How does the setting of the novel “set the stage” for the events that follow?
 * What motives influence (a particular character’s) actions in this chapter?
 * What predictions can you make about future events in the novel based on this chapter?
 * How does (a particular character) resemble the historical person the author is writing about? (When appropriate)
 * How do the events of this chapter resemble historical events? (When appropriate)
 * Based on the reading to date, what would you say a major theme of the novel is?

Lesson 4 __(5-7 Days)__ __Introduction: The students will begin pick a topic and begin writing their third critical essay for the year.__ __Goals: To produce a concise, well-written critical essay, including a cover page, an outline, citations, a rough draft, and a final draft.__ __Pre-Activities: The students will receive a graphic organizer for brainstorming their chosen topic. They will then use the brainstorm to begin gathering information to support a thesis. They will receive a graphic organizer for outlining and an example will be completed on the overhead. We will review the format for a five-paragraph critical essay. Upon completion of the rough draft, the students will peer-edit, have a teacher conference, and revise to produce a final draft.__ __Writing Assignments:__ Assessment: Students will be graded for each of the individual parts of the writing assignment with the standard homework grade of a check plus, check, check minus, or zero. The final copy of the critical essay will receive a formal writing grade of a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 based on the established writing rubric.
 * 1) Finish the graphic organizers.
 * 2) Produce the cover page, outline, rough draft, and final draft for the critical essay.


 * Final Project - EDU 921**
 * Dawn Manchester**
 * Grade 5**
 * Warwick Schools – JB Francis Schools**
 * dawnmanchester14@aol.com**

I have enjoyed taking this journey into the world of technology with all of you and wish you a calm end to school and an enjoyable summer. For the final project I chose a unit I have been developing for the 5th grade curriculum. I expanded it to include the technology we have been playing with all semester. It is my hope that when this unit is presented to the curriculum directors they will see the potential of learning and advance access to blog sites and WIKIs. I will warn you now it is long and a work in progress. Only 4 lessons are included, however the entire unit is mapped out enabling the big picture to be seen. Enjoy - Dawn

__**Unit Overview:**__ The key events leading up to The Revolutionary War is the main focus of this unit. During the unit, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a differentiated manner. Some activities, to name just a few, are reading and responding to posted articles on the class blog, illustrating slides on KidPix or PowerPoint, cooperatively working in peer groups, writing to various informational prompts and participating in hands on demonstrations and activities. While presenting each lesson topic, classroom time will be spent building background knowledge through group activities, teacher direct instruction and demonstration, informational reading and/or note taking. To extend their knowledge about each the lesson topic, students will be reading and responding to a linked article on the classroom blog page during center/computer lab time or for homework. (When to have students read the article (pre or post lesson) would be up to the individual teacher and/or classroom’s reading abilities) Throughout the unit, students will be creating an on-going slide show project, acting as a Revolutionary War timeline, utilizing either PowerPoint or KidPix programs. To reveal their overall knowledge on each slide, students will include the “Big Idea” and three major key points of each event, as well as an illustration depicting the event. Students will post completed slide shows on the class blog page, for other classmates to view and critic. To culminate the unit, students will be posting a writing assignment, to a linked WIKI site, where other students will comment and respond to their ideas. The prompt for the final writing assignment is as follows: __**Grade Level Expectations Addressed in Unit:**__ __**//Social Studies://**__ ü Construct a timeline of key events of American History ü Demonstrate an understanding of key events by interpreting data presented in a timeline ü Identify different points of view about key events in early American History ü Use both primary and secondary sources to describe key events or issues in early American History ü Identify historical issues or problems in early America and explain how they were addressed ü Cite examples of authority and use of power without authority ü Identify how citizens can make their voices heard responsibly in the political process ü Recognize situations requiring conflict resolution ü Describe revenue sources for different levels of government (i.e., income tax, property tax, sales tax) and how they impact the economy __**Language Arts GLE’s:**__ __**//Reading//**__ ü Obtaining information from text features ü Paraphrasing or summarizing key ideas/plots, with major events sequenced, as appropriate to text ü Generating questions before, during, and after reading to enhance recall ü Using information from the text to answer questions related to main/central ideas or key details ü Synthesizing information within or across text ü Distinguishing fact from opinion ü Making inferences about causes and effect =In response to literary or informational text, students show understanding of plot/ideas/concepts by…= ü Selecting appropriate information to set context/background
 * Integrated Social Studies/Language Arts Unit**
 * Unit Theme: The Revolutionary War**
 * //The Revolutionary War was made up of many important events that impacted its outcome. Chose one of these many events discussed in class that you believe had the biggest impact or was a major turning point of the war. Explain your reasons for choosing the event and support your answer with text support. Also explain what the event led to and/or without this event what would the outcome of the war have been.//**
 * Demonstrate initial understanding of informational text by:**
 * Analyze and interpret informational text, citing evidence as appropriate by:**

ü //Summarizing// __//key//__ //ideas//
ü Stating and maintaining a focus (purpose) when responding to a given question ü Making inferences about the content, events, characters, setting, or common themes ü Using specific details and references to text __or citations__ to support focus ü Organizing ideas, using transition words/phrases and writing a conclusion __that provides closure__ __**Writing:**__ ü Establishing a topic ü Stating and maintaining a focus/controlling idea on a topic ü Including facts and details relevant to focus/controlling idea, and __excluding extraneous information__ ü Including sufficient details or facts for appropriate depth of information//:// naming, describing, explaining, comparing, use of visual images ü Following verbal instructions to perform __specific__ tasks, to answer questions, or to solve problems ü __Summarizing, paraphrasing, questioning, or contributing to information presented__ ü Participating in large and small group discussions __showing respect for a range of individual ideas__ ü __Reaching consensus to solve a problem, make a decision, or achieve a goal__ __**//Technology://**__ ü Safely using the required tools and organizing information resources for a specific task
 * In informational writing (reports or procedures only), students effectively convey purpose by…**
 * In informational writing (reports and procedures only), students demonstrate use of a range of elaboration strategies by …**
 * In oral communication, students demonstrate interactive listening by…**
 * Students demonstrate an understanding of technological products and systems by:**

__**Essential Curriculum Question:**__ 1. What events in American History allowed the early settlers/colonists to gain independence from England and establish their own country? __**Essential Unit Questions:**__ 1. 5th Grade Textbook: US History (Houghton Mifflin) 2. __If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution__, Kay Moore 3. Computer Lab access to classroom blog site: e8isgreat.blogger.com __**Resources:**__ 1. Article Websites a. [|www.socialstudiesforkids.com] b. [|www.history.org] c. [|http://en.wikipedia.org] d. [|http://library.thinkquest.org] e. [|www.paulreverehouse.org] f. [|www.kidport.com] g. [|www.bensguide.gpo.gov] h. [|www.saratoga.org] i. [|www.mce.k12tn.net] 2. Social Studies Activities //Kids Can’t Resist!// (Scholastic) 3. Hands-On History: (Scholastic) a. //American Revolution// b. //Colonial America// 4. American History – Crafts and Games (Scholastic) 5. __**//Differentiation in Practice//**__, Carol Ann Tomlinson and Caroline Cunningham Eidson 6. __**//Differentiating Instruction in the Regular Classroom//**__, Diane Heacox
 * 1) What were the main causes of the Revolutionary War?
 * 2) What were the major events that lead up to the war?
 * 3) How did the outcome of these events affect the colonists? England? The growth of a new nation?
 * 4) What events lead to protest by the colonists? Why did the colonists protest to the King? What forms of protests were demonstrated? What effect did these protests have on the outcome of the war?
 * 5) What different roles did the colonists take during the war?
 * 6) What one event had the biggest impact or was a turning point of the war?
 * Materials:**

__**Completed Lessons Included in Unit (as of May 2007):**__
 * Lesson 1:** Introduction
 * Lesson 2:** The French and Indian War
 * Lesson 3:** The Stamp Act
 * Lesson 4:** The Sons/Daughters of Liberty

__**Lesson Topics to be Developed (most will take on similar format as lesson topics above):**__ __**Assessment Rubric:**__ ü **Project Rubric:** · Strong supporting details · Strongly reflects knowledge of page topic · No irrelevant ideas || · Well detailed · Well colored or sketched || · Spelling · Punctuation · Capitalization · Grammar · Sentence structure and variation || · Page Setup (Title, Big Idea, Big Details, Illustration) · Handwriting · Illustration (Details, background, color, etc) || · Clear supporting details · Clearly reflects knowledge of page topic · No irrelevant ideas || · Good use of details · Appropriately colored or sketched || · Spelling · Punctuation · Capitalization · Grammar · Sentence structure and variation || · Page Setup (Title, Big Idea, Big Details, Illustration) · Handwriting · Illustration (Details, background, color, etc) || · Some supportive details · Reflects some sense of page topic · Some irrelevant ideas || · Some details · Somewhat colored or sketched || · Spelling · Punctuation · Capitalization · Grammar · Sentence structure and variation || · Page Setup (Title, Big Idea, Big Details, Illustration) · Handwriting · Illustration (Details, background, color, etc) || · Limited or no supporting details · Little or no sense of page topic · Little or no relevant ideas || · Limited or no details · Limited use of color or sketch || · Spelling · Punctuation · Capitalization · Grammar · Sentence structure and variation || · Page Setup (Title, Big Idea, Big Details, Illustration) · Handwriting · Illustration (Details, background, color, etc) ||
 * Lesson 5:** The Boston Massacre
 * Lesson 6:** The Boston Tea Party
 * Lesson 7:** Lexington and Concord
 * Lesson 8:** The Battle of Bunker Hill
 * Lesson 9:** The Battle of Ticonderoga
 * Lesson 10:** The Second Continental Congress
 * Lesson 11:** The Declaration of Independence
 * Lesson 12:** Battle of Saratoga
 * Lesson 13:** Valley Forge
 * Lesson14:** Benedict Arnold
 * Lesson 15:** Battle of Yorktown
 * American Revolutionary War Timeline Book**
 * Rubric**
 * **Content** ||
 * **Illustration** ||
 * **Conventions** ||
 * **Neatness** ||
 * || **4** ||
 * · Strong fully developed Big Idea
 * · Strong fully developed Big Idea
 * · Illustration or graphic display strongly portrays page topic
 * Written portions demonstrates a strong use of:
 * Page demonstrates a strong sense of neatness in:
 * || **3** ||
 * · Clear Big Idea
 * · Illustration or graphic display clearly portrays page topic
 * Written portions demonstrate a clear use of:
 * Page demonstrates a clear sense of neatness in:
 * || **2** ||
 * · Developing Big Idea
 * · Illustration or graphic display somewhat portrays page topic
 * Written portions demonstrate some use of:
 * Page demonstrates some sense of neatness in:
 * || **1** ||
 * · Limited or no Big Idea
 * · Limited or no illustration or graphic display
 * Written portions demonstrate limited or no use of:
 * Page demonstrates little or no sense of neatness in:

ü **All writing will be assessed using the Warwick Schools Informational Writing Rubric and the Constructed Response Rubric.** __**Disclaimer:**__
 * This unit contains the first four lessons of the Revolutionary War Unit. The remaining lessons are a work in progress and take on a very similar format.**
 * Technology is always a part of our classroom and this unit is no exception. This unit touches upon a wide variety of technology components – blogger, WIKI, PowerPoint, KidPix, and using the web as a research tool. However, obtaining access to use the blog and WIKI in the manner in which it is intended is the overall goal in developing units of this caliber, to demonstrate success using technology. The overall success of this unit truly relies on the cooperation of the Warwick School System and obtaining access within the regulations of the school system.**

1. **Lesson Opener:** Ask another member of your school personnel to make the following announcement to your class: § **//Jeans//** § **//Sneakers//** § **//Pencils//** § **//Paper//** § **//Eye glasses//** § **//Milk//** § **//Cookies//** § **//Ice cream//** 2. At this point, your class should be up in arms. Grab onto that emotion and ask the following questions and record their responses on a chart: __* How does this new rule make you feel? __ || 1. **Direct instruction**: Use the SS textbook to provide students with further information about the colonists’ way of life and their feelings before the King made tax laws. Read these pages aloud to the students, stopping from time to time to model tracking for the students, ask guiding questions, and record facts. Periodically, have students turn, talk, and share their reactions to what is read. Add any new material to the KWL chart. || 3. **Buddy Read:** Students will now gather with their SS reading buddies to read pages 10 – 22. They will be reminded to record facts, lingering questions, and predictions that they may have before, during and after reading on reading response sheets or sticky notes. 4. **Response Writing:** After they have read they will discuss the information and individually respond to the prompt (response journals or blog): **//What action would you take against the King if you lived during this period of time? Use the unit opener situation that was presented to you as a way to connect to what the colonists went through. Also, make predictions about what actions the colonists will take and why? Support your response with material from the texts read in class.//** (Modification: If a group of students need support reading the material, that group would work with the teacher to build informational text skills.) ||
 * **Lesson 1: Introduction (****//2 class periods)//** ||
 * || **Lesson Objectives:**
 * Students will connect to the emotions of the colonists in the 1760’s.
 * Students will brainstorm what they KNOW about the war.
 * Students will gain some background knowledge of the war to help them devise questions about what they WANT to learn about the war.
 * Students will work cooperatively in a group/peer situation. ||
 * **Lesson Procedures:**
 * //Boys and girls, you have all heard about the recent budget cuts the school department has been making. Well, we have just received notice that in order to save money the school department will be placing a tax of 10 cents on the following items://**
 * //This will go into effect immediately, starting tomorrow. We are aware of this distress this may cause some of you, but there is nothing we can do about it. This is being handed down from the Administration and the School Committee. If you use any of the above items your teacher, principal and other school officials will collect 10 cents on the spot. There will be a letter sent home this afternoon to explain the situation to your families.//** (Announcer leaves the room)
 * Do you think the School Department has the right to tax what you wear, supplies you use, and food you eat?
 * Why do you think they came up with this plan?
 * How many people think you should do something about it?
 * What actions might you take to oppose the tax?
 * How many of you will not pay the tax? Why?3. Now link their emotion to that of the American Colonists they have been studying. Explain to the students that after the territorial war with the French, the King of England thought it was a good idea to tax the colonists. The King thought it was the colonists’ fault that the British Army had to defend them against the French. The colonists must have felt like you – unfairly taxed and used for their money. These feelings the colonists had, led to The Revolutionary War.
 * || 4. Use a KWL Chart to brainstorm what the students KNOW about the Revolutionary War. Continue to use the lesson opener to help students connect. ||
 * || **Session 2:**
 * || 2. **Informational Text:** Introduce the students to the other informational text that will be used throughout the unit: **//If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution.//** (A mini lesson on text features may be needed with this text if students are not familiar with the question/answer format.
 * || 5. **Class Share:** Bring the whole class back together to discuss, share their responses and record their findings on the KWL chart. ||
 * || **Homework: The topic of the next lesson is The French and Indian War. Students will be responsible for pre-reading the textbook pages that introduce this topic. To track while reading students will use a “Stopping Point” bookmark to record major points of text read.** ||

__*** Model for students, with their input, what constitutes a Big Idea and supporting facts/events. 2. Self and Peer Evaluation: **Take 10 mins or so to allow students to post comments on their own and their peers’ postings. Have a discussion after allotted time has ended. Did they learn anything new? Did they disagree with some classmates’ ideas of big ideas and supporting events/facts? Did the article provide them with any new information?** 3. Setting up Slide Show mini lesson. a. Title b. Big Idea Statement c. 3 supporting events/facts d. An illustration that accurately depicts the event
 * **Lesson 2: The French and Indian War** ||
 * || **Student Objectives:**
 * Students will locate the territories both England and France had in the 17th Century.
 * Students will construct a map of territory owned by England/France before the war and then again after the war.
 * Students will compare the two maps to make generalized statements as to the outcome of the war.
 * Students will identify main reasons for war.
 * Students will predict what the English government will do now that they are in dept from the war.
 * Students will be accessing the class blog to read and respond to an article posted to the blog.
 * Students will develop Big Idea and supporting events of this event and use these ideas when posting a response to the blog article.
 * Students will create a slide depicting The French and Indian War utilizing either PowerPoint or KidPix. ||
 * **Lesson Procedure:**
 * 1.** **Mapping Activity:** Students use the map in their textbooks to locate the areas involved and create their own maps. One map will depict English and French Territory and the other will show territory loses and gains. Students then discuss what the outcome of the war was for both the English and the French. These statements should be added to the chart.
 * 2.** **Buddy Share:** Students buddy up and compare their “Stopping Points” from previous night’s homework. In their discussions they are also asked to record a “Big Idea” Statement and 3 supporting facts.
 * 3.** **Class Share:** Gather the class to compare what each group has composed and discuss their findings. Record them on a chart as a reference.
 * 4.** **Guided Instruction:** Big Idea Statements and Supporting Facts/Events
 * Categorize the chart created from class share into significant/not significant
 * Using the significant events/facts create a “big idea statement”
 * __ ||
 * 5. Student Practice: (computer lab – 30 mins.)
 * In peer groups students read or listen to The French and Indian War article linked to the class blog
 * They leave tracks of thinking by posting “stopping points” to the blog or by using the reading tracking sheets or sticky notes (these must be turned into the teacher for assessment purposes)
 * Post-reading**: Students must post or hand record the Big Idea Statement with 3 supporting events/facts. In addition, students respond to the posted article question: Make a prediction as to what you think the English government will do now that they are in debt from the war.** ||
 * Sessions 2 ||
 * || 1. Return to the computer lab (Before this session the teacher must review and submit all approved postings.)
 * · Students in this classroom already have experience in using KidPix and PowerPoint programs. If that is not the case then a few class periods would have to be spent exposing them to these programs or those similar.**
 * · Guidelines and set up procedures will be discussed with the students and the first slide, The French and Indian War, will be done with the students step by step.**
 * ·** Each slide should include:
 * · Students spend the remainder of the time working on their slides with guidance from the teacher.** ||
 * || Homework: Textbook reading on the Stamp Act. Again students are to use the “Stopping Points” bookmark to record the major events/facts of the event. ||


 * Lesson 3: The Stamp Act ||
 * || Lesson Objectives:
 * Students will formulate empathy for the life of a colonist
 * Students will identify reasoning for taxation
 * Students will compose a letter trying to convince the members of Parliament to remove the taxes
 * Students will understand what the Stamp Act was and how its installation impacted the lives of the colonists ||
 * Lesson Opener:
 * Prior to students arriving place 10 small pieces of candy (M&M’s or Skittles work great) in individual cups or baggies. Also talk to 2 students and appoint them their roles as a representative of Parliament and the other the tax collector. You as the teacher can be the King of England or assign that role to another student.
 * When students arrive or are getting ready for SS, hand out their bags of candy and tell them it is payment for showing up to class today. However, they can not eat their reward until the activity is over.
 * Have the tax collector make an announcement that taxes will be collected for the following items:
 * Jeans
 * Glasses
 * Jewelry
 * Sneakers
 * Pens
 * T-shirts* One piece of candy will be paid to the tax collector for each of those items* After the tax collector has collected taxes, he receives 10% of the collected candy. He then needs to give 50% of collected “taxes” to the representative from Parliament for running the Empire.* The representative has to then give 40% of the taxes collected to the King* Once all taxes have been paid, discuss with the students how they are feeling and relate it back to the colonists and what they know about the Stamp Act.* Record reactions on chart or refer to the one that was created in the Unit Opener. ||
 * Direct Instruction:
 * Modeling reading strategies to develop the “Big Idea” and supporting events/facts by using: tracking, Stop-Think-Respond
 * Source: **//A Summary of the 1765 Stamp Act//** article from [|www.history.org]
 * Guide the reading of the article for the students, modeling the reading strategies above.
 * Have students practice individually while you are reading the article aloud to them. Have the students share their findings with a partner. Then bring it back to a whole class discussion.
 * On the back of their article have the students record what they believe to be the big idea statement and 3 supportive events/facts.
 * Create a chart displaying their ideas and again use the chart to classify and determine what the big idea and major events/fact of the Stamp Act are.
 * Remind students of their responsibilities to the blog response and their slide show. ||
 * Blog Response:
 * During “Classroom Stations”, Computer Lab time, or for homework students will be responsible for reading and responding to the Stamp Act article read in class.
 * Response Prompt: Write a letter to the British Parliament trying to convince them to repeal the Intolerable Acts. (Post on WIKI)
 * Students are encouraged to go back to the WIKI, read and respond to classmates’ letters. ||

Loyalists V Patriots //(2 Sessions)// || Reading Specialist Barrington High School Final Project - EDC 921
 * Lesson 4
 * || Lesson Objectives:
 * Students will compare and contrast the 4 groups of people living in Colonial America during the Revolutionary War.
 * Students will determine what impact the Sons and Daughters of Liberty had on the war. ||
 * Lesson Procedures:
 * In this lesson students will be broken into 4 groups by interest. Students will be able to choose their group. Students in each group will be responsible for becoming the expert of their chosen topic, so they will be able to teach other classmates about their topic.
 * Group 1: The Loyalists; Group 2: The Sons of Liberty; Group 3: Daughters of Liberty; Group 4: Neutral Colonists · Materials: textbook, //If you lived at the time of the American Revolution////,// articles, internet, graphic organizer · Read, Research, and Record: Locate information that will answer the guiding questions on the graphic organizer (Who they were, What they did, What they believed, What actions they took)· Outcome Choices: Students in the group chose one way to respond as a group, all groups must do the “All Pick” from the list below (which is presented to the students in a Choice Board format):§ Create a skit depicting the group’s actions and roles§ Create an advertisement/poster that would promote your group and want other colonists to join.§ Create a question/answer flip chart that will help others understand about your group.§ Write a Top 10 List on your topic to be posted to the blog § All Pick: Write up a fact sheet to be handed out to the class ||
 * || Session 2
 * Groups continue to work on independent research and group choice project
 * Groups share Choice Board Project information in one of two ways:
 * Jig Saw style – where two members of each group get together and present their information
 * Whole class – each group presents to the entire class* Further information will be received when each student reads the information on the blog. All students should check the blog as a reference before their slide page is created for this event.*** Individual Response: After you have completed the group research and heard all other groups present, respond to the follow questions and post response to the blog.**
 * The Sons and Daughters of Liberty played a major role in rebelling against the British. What actions do you believe sent a stronger message to the King? Why? Explain your response and support it with text. >> ||
 * Slides: During their station or computer lab time students should be referencing the blog for helpful information – other student’s posts and articles from class – to create one slide per event. ||
 * || Mark Davis

INTRODUCTION The following ideas were in my proposal and then executed a few months ago. I encourage you to review them and visit my site. The hope of this project is to continue research into the effectiveness of technology such as Web 2.0 tools on reading comprehension and student writing.

UNIT GOALS Through identification on an item analysis of our mid-term exams, we assessed that students in this course needed more support with GSE R-4.1 Initial Understanding of the Literary Text which includes Identifying or describing or making logical predictions about character(s) such as protagonist or antagonist, and setting. We also wanted to incorporate more opportunities to assess students’ ability to present information in an oral presentation. Specifically, we wanted to address GSE OC-2.1 Oral Presentations, where students are exhibiting logical organization and language use, appropriate to audience, context, and purpose. Most of all, we wanted to provide learning styles-supported artifacts of student work through self-selected authentic tasks. Using technology, we ensured that students participated in meaningful summaries of their learning that would engage their peers. For more information on these products, please review the documents in the Project Resources – Handouts section of the online website (instructions at the end)

STANDARDS Aside from the previously mentioned standards, the following standards have been addressed through in-class work:

National Standards: NET-S Performance Indicators (4, 5, 6 for grades 9-12): Students routinely and efficiently use online information resources to meet needs for collaboration, research, publication, communication, and productivity. NCTE and IRA Standards 3 and 8: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Rhode Island State Standard: Writing GSE 9-10, 14.4: Using a range of elaboration techniques (i.e., questioning, comparing, connecting, interpreting, analyzing, or describing) to establish a focus. Reading GSE 9-10, 13: Apply comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading literary text.

SYNOPSIS OF LESSONS

The following lessons are breif summaries of the activities completed during the unit. Although this is not a complete list, it will provide some background on how to scaffold the lessons of the unit with the technology and material needed to be covered. Some lessons required several days to complete (such as literature circles) and others were assigned as on-going homework (blogging).

Lesson One: Practicing for Text Analysis Essential Question: Do we control our destiny or is it decided for us?

Provide a copy of a brief narrative with two characters and a direct plot. Have one teacher read the story aloud and interject comments regarding the actions or feelings of the character(s) as they occur. The interjections, a text-based inner dialogue, should model good reading comprehension. After each page, the teacher will facilitate predictions for the following sections of the story. Using the gradual release of responsibility technique, students should be expected to finish the reading with their own notes on actions and feelings and make predictions. Students were then introduced to weblogs or blogs. In class, students were asked to post their Actions and Feelings notes from the Checkout story for homework. Students then responded to their peers to receive feedback or coach struggling learners. This activity will serve as an assessment and practice for future homework assignments.

Objectives: > > Introduction**:** For my final project I did not create a unit since I am not currently in the classroom. In place of a unit, I created the wiki that I proposed in Deliverable #3. In 2006, the Iowa State Legislature reinstated teacher librarians into the Iowa code. As a result of this legislation, each school district is now required to employ a certified teacher librarian and also have a library program in place. In response to the mandate, AEAs in Iowa are planning a series of professional development opportunities for teacher librarians. The professional development sessions will aid teacher librarians in incorporating the components of the new law. In addition to the professional development that will be offered, I created a wiki as well, to assist teacher librarians in addressing the new requirements. The wiki will be a vehicle that can be used to post information, provide links to helpful professional materials as well as a place where teacher librarians served by Northwest AEA can collaborate and share ideas and documents with their colleagues and peers. Because teacher librarians and programs have not been required for many years, schools and the personnel they hire will require some assistance implementing the new requirements. The wiki will serve as a useful site where teacher librarians can seek help. > > I used PBWiki to create my wiki simply because it was the one I knew best and also time considerations this summer made it the best choice. It can be viewed at [|http://quickstartguides.pbwiki.com] > > I also added some “movies” to the blog I created earlier. Again, because of time considerations I used a program I had used a little before, Snapz Pro X. It was already installed on my computer and it was the one I used in the past. At some point in time, I want to redo the movies I created using another program. I also want to learn more about podcasting so I can include that tool in future efforts. The address of my blog is: [|http://nwiowamediacatalog.blogspot.com] > > **Goals**: > **•** To enable teacher librarians served by Northwest AEA to become a community of learners by using a wiki. > • To provide teacher librarians served by Northwest AEA an instrument to easily share information with each other. > • To provide access to professional materials and relevant web sites that will assist teacher librarians in Northwest AEA to meet the new state requirements and mandates. > • To keep teachers, staff and administrators informed about changes to the Northwest Iowa AEA Online Media Catalog and the resources available to them via the online catalog. > > **Pre-Activities:** > Before teacher librarians can use effectively use the wiki, they will need some training. At the first professional staff day, teacher librarians will be introduced to the wiki and will be provided a demonstration on how to use the wiki. A help sheet with illustrations will also be given to teacher librarians along with links to tutorials that they can use at their convenience at a future time. Other wiki sites will also be shared with the teacher librarians, so they will appreciate the educational potential of wikis. > **• [|How to create your own PBWiki in 5 minutes]** > • [|What’s a PBwiki?] > • [|PBWiki: Frequently asked Questions] > • [|You Tube PBWiki videos] (12) > •[| Thrive in 2065? Reinventing Schools for the 21st Century] > • [|The Hows of Wikis] > Other librarian wikis: > • [|TeacherLibrarian Wiki] > • [|LM_Net Wiki Annex] > • Texas School Librarians' Wikispaces > • [|Library Success: A Best Practice Wiki] > • [|Welcome to the South Carolina Library Association] > • [|ALA (American Library Association) Professional Tips Wiki Main Page] > > Writing Assignments: > **T**his wiki is divided into four main sections: Communication and Leadership; Curriculum, Teaching and Technology; Reading and Literacy (K-12 emphasis); and Collection Development. On each page I’ve provided suggestions for sharing. While not a “writing prompt”, I’m hoping the suggestions will provide a starting point for teacher librarians to share ideas and resources related to the main topic of each page. > > **Extension and Adaptation:** > In the first year of inception I think the wiki will primarily be used to assist teacher librarians in meeting the new state guidelines and mandates and create a spirit of cooperation and community. Once the first year passes, I hope it will continue to be a place for collaboration and sharing of ideas, concerns and successes for teacher librarians in Northwest AEA. Since AEAs across the state of Iowa are planning similar days of professional development, the wiki could potentially be used as well by teacher librarians regionally or even by teacher librarians across the state of Iowa. > > **Assessment: The success of the wiki will be judged by usage. How many teacher librarians have used the site? How many ideas have been shared? At the professional development days at the AEA, input will also be sought from the group. What are their thoughts about the wiki? Is there anything that would make the wiki better and more useful for the group?** > > Final Project > **Mary Saunders** > Library Media Specialist > Gloucester High School > Gloucester, MA 01930 > msaunders@gloucester.k12.ma.us > Introduction**:** > Since I am a high school library media specialist, all my teaching is done in collaboration with the classroom teacher in conjunction with the curriculum. Getting teachers to plan ahead with me, rather than show up the day before, sometimes the day of, with a lesson plan and a quick description of the class’ needs, is a challenge. All 300 freshmen are offered an orientation to the library through their English classes. I have been asking the English teacher to devise a lesson that requires some research and I’ve incorporated the orientation session into that research assignment. Probably because this requires additional effort by the teacher, some freshmen get their orientation to the library in the spring after some of them have been using the library with and without their other classes for months. Since the high school is the only school in the Gloucester system with a library, this is the first experience in a school library for most of the students. This school year, I plan to use the following short vocabulary unit with those English classes whose teachers aren’t ready in the fall to invent a research lesson in order to get their freshmen oriented to the library. > Because the unit is fairly simple with minimal writing responsibilities, I chose for this class to do something that should be of considerable use to the library media program at Gloucester High School. It addresses the difficulty I have getting teachers to preplan library research with me. I have begun a wiki for information literacy instruction collaboration at https://gloucesterhslibrary.wikispaces.com I will link to the wiki from the library’s Web pages. Teachers who want to collaborate will be given the right to alter the wiki so that we can build the lesson together. This should get around the difficulty of finding mutually available planning time. So far, the wiki has a link on some department’s page to a list of the Massachusetts frameworks that apply to research in that discipline. Some pages will have lessons that have been used in the library during previous years. Other pages will have lessons that look promising from lessons I found on the Internet. I have a page of resources that the library is considering for purchase and I plan to add a page to introduce recently-acquired resources that I can link to from my monthly library email newsletter. I am also building a page of links to sites with good information literacy-related lessons. The beauty of having this project as a wiki is that interested teachers can add to this page as well. Another outcome that would benefit our students would be teacher discovery of the potential for use of wikis in their classes. > Search-a-Word Vocabulary Unit > __for freshman library media center orientation__ > __at https://gloucesterhslibrary.wikispaces.com/Search-A-Word and below.__ > __I am aware that this small instructional unit doesn’t fully meet the assignment criteria. I could have invented a more complex unit, but it would not be likely to be of use to me at my school. Instead, I hope that the wiki, which I will use, will suffice to make my final project satisfactory.__ > > **Goals**: > **To link vocabulary instruction in freshman English classes with orientation of freshman to the library resources available at the high school.**
 * Students should be able to identify characterization aspects within the story.
 * Students should be able to make logical predictions about the story’s outcomes.
 * Students should demonstration analysis of the story against an essential question.Resources:
 * Lesson on Making Predictions handout, the story “Checkout” with teacher annotations
 * Mr. Davis’s Online Classroom course website, students technology survey and blog form (www.davisclassroom.com)Lesson Two: Choosing a TextEssential Question: What types of responsibilities do teenagers have? Beginning with a parking lot activity, students use the white board to post teenage responsibilities with Post-Its. The group discusses and groups together the top concerns of teenagers. The teacher will facilitate the discussion and direct student students towards a gallery walk of the six texts the students can choose from. Each text was checked for readability for all learners in the class and provides multiple perspectives for all genders, ethnic backgrounds, and content. Students will bring home a permission slip for parents to ensure approval of content and to provide an explanation of differentiated instruction practices incorporated into the unit. An explanation of the unit will be provided with book summaries for additional review of the options.Objectives:
 * Students will be able to make connections between their life and texts they are interested in reading (motivation).
 * Students will be able to make choices that match their learning styles.Resources
 * Book Teaser handout (brief synopsis of story)
 * Parent Letter for Outside Reading Project (permission slip and explanation)
 * Julia Steiny Support for Lit Circles article (providing validity of assignment)Lesson Three: Preparing for Student-Facilitated DiscussionsEssential Question: Each day, students will generate their own questions in literature circles. The overarching essential question throughout this exploration will be: How are you responsible for their actions and feelings for yourself and others around you? This essential question comes from a UbD-supported curriculum written for all K-12 English teachers in the district.Students will learn how to participate in literature circles and chalk talks, both in a traditional and digital format. For literature circles, each students will participate in a revolving role where they must read a section of their book (deadlines and lengths selected by their group) and come prepared to present their role to the group. In a “save the last word for me” fashion, the group responds to their materials first, and then allows the author to share what they were feeling or thinking when they recorded their responses. Each day, members bring together their understanding through the guidance of the “Discussion Director’s” guided questions. Samples of questions for each text are provided here:
 * How does the character know where she should belong (with her family, friends, community)?
 * How does the character cope with people ignoring her?
 * How do we try to fit into the molds of other people?
 * How does our perspective change the way we see people?
 * Why do people often hurt themselves when they are upset or don't fit in?Students are also given the homework assignment of participating in self-guided weblog sessions online. Each section allowed students to create their own blog topics or responded to an author- or teacher-initiated response. Students received credit based on a check-plus, check, or check-minus assessment of the quality of response. Check-plug entries included cited evidence, check entries only provided feedback, and check-minus went off task or made an attempt. Resources :
 * Students’ text
 * Literature Circle Role SheetsLesson Four: Creating an ArtifactEssential Question: The teacher will remind students to focus discussions on the essential question: How does your character show they are old enough to be responsible for their actions and people around them?Teacher will model an effective oral presentation using the essential question as a guiding point. Students will be given an opportunity to choose from one of six suggested presentation artifacts or propose their own idea. Each group will be evaluated using a rubric for the presentation, another rubric specific to their chosen artifact, and given an opportunity to provide peer participation feedback. Time will be given to review literature circle role sheets, blogs, and in-class discussions to support the collection of evidence and information for the presentation. Resources:
 * Oral Presentation Project handout, outlining requirements and highlighting artifacts* Presentation Rubrics, the first page focusing on presentation skills and the remaining pages for the specific artifact being presented.Lesson Five: Culminating Writing Assignment Essential Question: How does your character show they are old enough to be responsible for their actions and people around them?Students will learn about the writer’s workshop model when drafting a summary paper connecting their own experiences with the character in their text. Although citations and evidence were collected for the oral presentation, students will be graded on their ability to connect their ideas to their own experiences with effective transitions and analysis of the text. The students’ papers will be assessed with the school-wide writing rubric (cannot be posted due to rights restrictions within district)Resources:*** Practice Writer’s Workshop packetCONCLUSION** Most of the materials suggested above were tested fully with two classes during the month of March in a Freshmen English course at Barrington High School. Though seeing the experience is more effective in person, I have included access to my school site so that you might see evidence of their work. Please feel free to e-mail me with questions or feedback at davism@bpsmail.org if I can be of service. Visit: [|http://www.davisclassroom.com]Username: edc921Password: fontaine> > Click on Lang and Lit 112 – Ms. Blake’s Period 1 Class to enter the online course. You can see the Resources documented above by clicking on Project Resources, then the Handouts folder, posted under the image of the textbooks. Thank you and best wishes! > > Final Project > **Pam Buysman** > Northwest Area Education Agency> Sioux Center, Iowa 51250 > pbuysman@nwaea.k12.ia.us >> [|Northwest AEA Teacher Librarian Pages]> [|Northwest Iowa AEA Online Media Catalog]
 * **To familiarize students with the vocabulary found in the text they will be reading for English class.**
 * **To introduce students to the use of a blog for a class writing assignment.**

>Essential Questions__:> What resources are available in the school library media center (LMC)?*How can a student access those resources?*What information can be obtained about a single word in the English language using the LMC?__Content__:*Tier 2 Vocabulary words from the current book to be read in English class.__Skills__: >Location of information within the LMC and in computer resources.>Understanding of basic library organization.__ __>Knowledge of the existence of proprietary online resources available through the LMC and public library.__ __>Use of a blog for a writing assignment.__ Assessments__:__ __#Completion of worksheets 1 and 2 (see links in lesson one and two). 25% each*Classroom blog entry for assigned word [|Scoring for Blog entry.doc] 26%*Participation in classroom discussion "The most dynamic word from the blog." [|Rubrics for group discussion and debates.doc] 24% of grade__Pre-activity:__* In classroom, in groups, students identify and build a list of words in the text that are unfamiliar.__ __*Teacher assigns, or has students pick, individual words from the list to research.__Lessons__:__ **Lesson One: Library introduction * The library media specialist (LMS) presents the rules, procedures, and lay-out of the LMC.** >> >> FINAL PROJECT*** Michael Skeldon * Academic Dean** > **Erving Elementary SchoolErving, MA** > **shtulman@edthewizard.com6 month long unitGrades 4 through 6Language Arts, Technology skills, Research skills, Critical thinking skills, Classroom discussion skills** Introduction:**At the center of this reading, writing, thinking, researching unit is the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (MCBA) program. The MCBA is a terrific program administered through the Salem State College Department of Education. Each year, professors from Salem State compile a list of children’s books which come highly recommended by students, teachers, and librarians. They whittle the list down to 25 nominees from which children in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades may elect to read during the course of the following school year. Participation is, typically, voluntary. MCBA reading typically happens apart from classroom or homework reading. Students who read 5 nominees between September and February are eligible to vote for their favorite in March. Salem State compiles all of the MA votes and announces a winner in late May or early June.**Goals: Sessions 10 and beyond By now, kids will have begun reading MCBA nominees. Each time they finish one of the books, they will be given library, computer, or recess time to think and write about it. They can write anything they like, but I will also have posted writing prompt questions for each book. I’m thinking that book synopses, links to author webpages, book jacket photos and other indisputable information may go on the book’s page, and student writing about the book and/or in response to prompts will go on the comments for that page. Kids will continue reading and posting and responding to one another and to writing prompts until the end of February.
 * Classroom teacher models the search for resources about the book the class is reading using the LMC catalog with help from the LMS.
 * Together the two teachers model finding answers for [|Word Search Worksheet 1.doc].
 * Students find answers for their own word among the LMC print resources.Lesson Two: Computer resources introduction
 * LMS presents school rules about computer use.
 * LMS and classroom teacher model use of online resources for [|Word Search Worksheet 2.doc].
 * Students find answers for their own word on LMC computers.Lesson Three: Blog entry
 * Teachers present and discuss with class: nature of blogs, use of blogs in education, classroom assignment using blog.
 * LMS demonstrates class blog (prototype: http://searchaword.pbwiki.com/FrontPage, password = ghs ) while classroom teacher asks students for possible reasons why a word could be interesting or dull. Those suggestions will be logged onto the designated blog page to model blog entry procedures.
 * Once students have completed their text entry, they may take time to finish their worksheets, or, if done, add images or otherwise embellish their blog entry. Students will be urged to "lock" their entry once they are finished.Lesson Four: Debate "The most dynamic word on the blog"
 * Groups of 3-5 students read through the blog for homework.
 * Groups decide which word the group will sponsor and elects a spokesperson who will convey the groups' arguments.
 * Each group registers their word with the teacher.
 * **Each spokesman gets 2 min. to present. Class votes.Essential understandings**
 * **Each word in the English language has an origin and history***
 * The library has resources for information beyond Google.Extensions:
 * Students will go on to read the assigned book with some knowledge of unfamiliar words and tools for finding the meaning of other unfamiliar words in the LMC
 * The tools students used in this assignment will be used again in other visits to the LMC with and without their classes.Adaptations & differentiated instruction:
 * To be provided in response to the IEP of any special education or handicapped students in the class.
 * Library computers are equipped with text reading software and text enlargement software.
 * Classroom teacher, LMC, and library aide will all be available to assist individual students.
 * Visual learners will be encouraged to work with the images feature of the blog.Standards:
 * 9-10C.24.05 ~ Research ~ Formulate open-ended research questions and apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources in a consistent and standard format, and presenting research.
 * 9-10L.03.14 ~ Oral Presentation ~ Give formal and informal talks to various audiences and for various purposes using appropriate level of formality and rhetorical devices.
 * 9-10L.04.24 ~ Vocabulary and Concept Development ~ Use knowledge of Greek, Latin, and Norse mythology, the Bible, and other works often alluded to in British and American literature to understand the meanings of new words.
 * 9-10L.04.25 ~ Vocabulary and Concept Development ~ Use general dictionaries, specialized dictionaries, thesauruses, or related references as needed to increase learning.
 * 9-10L.05.29 ~ Structure and Origins of Modern English ~ Describe the origins and meanings of common words and foreign words or phrases used frequently in written English, and show their relationship to historical events or developments (glasnost, coup d’état).*>
 * **Beacon Charter High School for the Arts**
 * **Woonsocket, RI 02895**
 * **mrskeldon@aol.com**
 * **My deliverable provides a great amount of detail that is best seen at http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Overview.**
 * **Though not strictly a “Teaching Unit”, this piece is intended to frame the integration of digital portfolios into the school’s graduation requirements through the Capstone project.**
 * **According to the RI Department of Education, the Capstone project is an “in-depth, independent learning experience in which students investigate an area of personal interest. The capstone presentation is a required component of a capstone project and offers students an opportunity to showcase their work to an external audience. In Rhode Island, these projects are the culminating event for achieving a Certificate of Initial Mastery.” ([|www.**ri**doe.net/highschoolreform/ dslat/exhibit/exh_glsry.shtml])**
 * **Though Beacon classes are constructed on a semesterized schedule (complete courses are approximately 80 minutes long but are completed within one semester), students will have the opportunity to begin work on their Capstone project throughout the academic year.**
 * **Semester 1 serves as an overview of film theory and history, but students begin to explore ideas for their project. Semester two intensifies the Capstone work. For a complete list of deliverables and their deadlines ([|http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Deadlines).]**
 * **The work will be introduced gradually in lessons that are interwoven with film study. The major steps include:**
 * **1. Registering and setting up a Digication site.**
 * **2. Practice blogging by recording reactions to films viewed in class. These films include professionally produced features and shorts as well as past Capstone films.**
 * **3. Begin posting Capstone components.**
 * **4. Commenting upon others’ postings.**
 * **5. Revise components until they meet standard on rubrics, located at http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Rubrics.**
 * **6. Write journal entries on each step of the process.**
 * **7. Shoot and edit film**
 * **8. Prepare and deliver oral presentation which will be assessed by a panel of judges trained to use the rubric on a past presentation.**
 * **9. Revise presentation or film if necessary and present again.**
 * **10. Provide continual feedback to peers through classroom discussions and blogs.**
 * **Standards covered by this project are listed at [|http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Standards.]>Robin Shtulman> Librarian**
 * **Standards covered by this project are listed at [|http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Standards.]>Robin Shtulman> Librarian**
 * **Standards covered by this project are listed at [|http://campus.digication.com/mrskeldon/Standards.]>Robin Shtulman> Librarian**
 * Get kids excited about reading
 * Give kids space to think about why they like to read particular kinds of books
 * Have kids make connections from the texts they read to their own life experience
 * Have kids make connections from the texts they read to world events
 * Give kids many low key, safe opportunities to practice writing in order to communicate
 * Give kids practical and thoughtful feedback on their writing and insights
 * Give kids a place to talk with one another about literatureActivities:First 4 library sessionsAt the beginning of the year (September), all students will highlight a book they read over the summer. It should be a book that they enjoyed. Students will be able to choose from a number of modes of expression: blurb, drawing, shadowbox, etc., but it should convey something about the genre and plot, if fiction, and why the reader enjoyed it. These will be displayed in the library along with small notepads. Visitors to the library will be invited to comment on the projects and on the books (if they have read them) in the notebooks. This is, basically, a real world, physical wiki, with commenters limited to those people who physically enter the library space.Session 5The librarian will:
 * Introduce MCBA
 * Booktalk nomineesSessions 6 and 7Review last year’s MCBA bloghttp://union28.blogspot.com///Kids will critique –
 * What did they like about last year’s blogging experience?
 * What didn’t they like?
 * What worked?
 * How would they improve it?Things that I know kids will want to change:
 * Pieces of writing that discuss the same book should be grouped together, regardless of when they were written.
 * Entries should be more substantial than "Yeah," or, "That was lame."Session 8Introduce wikisView 1 or 2 good elementary school wikisLibrarian will show kids the MCBA wiki ([|bookaward.pbwiki.com])Kids will work together to write introduction to wiki with goals and guidelines.Session 9Kids will set up their user names Kids will set up a new page on the wiki and write a first wiki entry about anything they want


 * Assessment**

Because participation in the MCBA program has been traditionally voluntary, setting up assessment guidelines is tricky. However, if participation were mandatory, I would use a rubric like this to assess student writing and help kids improve: || reader’s attention.a) I know a lot about this topic and added interesting tidbits. b) I showed what was happening instead of telling. c) My topic was small enough to handle. d) I can easily answer the question, "What is the point of this paper/story?" || errors in my paper.a) My spelling is accurate. b) I have used capitals correctly. c) Every paragraph is indented to show where a new idea begins. d) Periods, commas, exclamation marks, and quotation marks are in the right places. e) My grammar/usage is consistent and shows control || the message across, but don’t capture the reader’s attention.
 * IDEAS AND CONTENT || WORD CHOICE || CONVENTIONS ||
 * 5 – Focused, clear, specific. It keeps the
 * 5 – Extremely clear, visual, and accurate. I
 * picked the right words for the right places.a) My words are colorful, snappy, vital, brisk andfresh. You won’t find overdone, vague or flowerylanguage.b) All the words in my paper fit. Each one seems just right.c) Look at all my energetic verbs!d) Some of the words and phrases are so vivid thereader won’t soon forget them. ||
 * 5 – Mostly correct. There are very few
 * || 3 – Some really good parts, some not there
 * yet!a) Some things are new, other things everyone else already knows.b) Details are general (nice, fun, some, good.)c) I’m still thinking aloud on paper. I’m looking for a good idea.d) Maybe I’ll write about this or maybe I’ll write about that ||
 * 3 – Correct but not striking. The words get

a) I used everyday words pretty well but I did not stretch for a new and better way to say things. b) Most of the time the reader will figure out what I mean even if a few words are messed up. c) My words aren’t real specific. Better, juicy details. d) I used tired out cliches or phrases. || say.a) I haven’t shared much information. I don’t seem to know much about this topic. b) My details are so vague it’s hard to picture anything. c) I’m still thinking aloud on paper. I’m looking for a good idea. d) Maybe I’ll write about this or maybe I’ll write about that || a first reading to decode and a second reading to get the message.a) Spelling errors are common, even simple words. b) Capital letters are scattered all over or not at all. c) I haven’t got the hang of paragraphs yet. d) Punctuation is very limited and makes reading this paper difficult. e) Frequent grammatical errors, I haven’t spent much time editing this paper. || And another rubric to assess participation and adherence to the etiquette established by the group at the beginning of the project. Below is an example.
 * 3 – About halfway there. A number of
 * bothersome mistakes need cleaning up.a) Spelling is correct on simple words. It may notbe right on harder words.b) Most sentences and proper nouns begin with capitals, but a few have been over looked.c) At least one paragraph is present. Others might not all begin in the right spots.d) Problems in punctuation make the reader stumble and pause now and then.e) Several grammar problems are evident. ||
 * || 1 – Just beginning to figure out what I want to
 * 1 – Confusing. The reader is often asking
 * "What did they mean by this?"a) A lot of words and phrases are vague. (We were friends and stuff.)b) My words don’t make pictures yet. (It was awesome.)c) Some of my words are misused.d) Over and over I used the same words over and over, until my paper was over. ||
 * 1 – Editing not under control yet. It would take
 * |||||| http://www.middleweb.com/ReadWrkshp/RWdownld/MvaleRubric.pdf. ||
 * Feature || 5 || 4 || 3 || 2 || 1 ||
 * Reading || Reads all 25 MCBA nominees! ||
 * Reads 5 or more MCBA nominees ||
 * Reads 3-4 MCBA nominees ||
 * Reads 1 –2 MCBA nominees ||
 * Reads 1 MCBA nominee ||
 * || Time on Task || Always on task ||
 * Always on task ||
 * Mostly on task ||
 * Sometimes on task ||
 * Completely off task ||
 * || Tone of response || Elicits others’ opinions ||
 * Elicits others’ opinions ||
 * Accepts others’ opinions ||
 * Ignores others’ opinions ||
 * Rejects others’ opinions ||
 * || Participation || Writes thoughtfully about all books read ||
 * Writes thoughtfully about all books read ||
 * Writes about some of the books read ||
 * Contributes original writing once or twice ||
 * Does not wtite about books read ||
 * || Interaction || Responds richly to others’ writings, engaging in main points and posing further questions for discussion ||
 * Responds richly to others’ writings, engaging in main points and posing further questions for discussion ||
 * Responds to classmates’ writings ||
 * Responds to classmates’ writings sporadically, with one or two word respones ||
 * Does not comment on classmates’ writings ||
 * || Attitude || Encourages participation of others ||
 * Encourages participation of others ||
 * Accepts participation of others ||
 * Discourages participation of others ||
 * Ridicules others ||
 * |||||||||||| Modified from http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson896/GroupParticipationChart.pdf// ||

This project supports the following strands from the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks ([|http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/ela/0601.doc)]:

Language Strand

__Standard 1: Discussion__

__Students will use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large groups.__

__Standard 2: Questioning, Listening, and Contributing__

__Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own information or ideas in group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new knowledge.__

__Standard 6: Formal and Informal English__

__Students will describe, analyze, and use appropriately formal and informal English.__

Reading and Literature Strand

__Standard 8: Understanding a Text__

__Students will identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation__

__Standard 9: Making Connections__

__Students will deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background.__

__**Standard 10: Genre**__

__Students will identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres.__

__**Standard 15: Style and Language**__

__Students will identify and analyze how an author’s words appeal to the senses, create imagery, suggest mood, and set tone, and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.__


 * Composition Strand**


 * __Standard 19: Writing__**

Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization, and sufficient detail.


 * Standard 20: Consideration of Audience and Purpose**

Students will write for different audiences and purposes.


 * Standard 21: Revising**

Students will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice (diction) in their compositions after revising them.


 * Standard 22: Standard English Conventions**

Students will use knowledge of standard English conventions in their writing, revising, and editing.


 * Standard 23: Organizing Ideas in Writing**

Students will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose. Standard 25: Evaluating Writing and Presentations Students will develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical, and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting them to varied audiences.


 * Media Strand**


 * __Standard 27: Media Production__**

Students will design and create coherent media productions (audio, video, television, multimedia, Internet, emerging technologies) with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium. > It has been a pleasure to take this journey with all of you. Best wishes for all your future blogging and wiki work! > >

>

Robert Kimball
> Social Studies Department > South Kingstown High School > Wakefield, RI 02879 > dragonsheorth@aol.com > > Rather than post a long note you will skim, I encourage you to instead appreciate the brief nature of this__ post and realize that both the following assignments were further augmented by students in my classes over the course of 2+ days using a mobile laptop lab and a day of content prep and a day of reflection. I hope you enjoy them. > EDC920 BLOG : [|http://skhsdroppingthebomb.blogspot.com] Pay particular note to the student comments on the last slide (although the others are also very insightful) EDC921 WIKI : http://skhs-berlinairlift.wikispaces.com Enjoy the links from the Conclusion section - I encouraged the students to be "creative")