Resources from Putting Books to Work
at ILA 2017
Ideas shared when discussing each book:
Pablo Cartaya
at ILA 2017
Ideas shared when discussing each book:
Pablo Cartaya
- This book provides an excellent opportunity for readers to recognize that there are those in our families, neighborhoods, churches, and communities who have lived history. We have much to learn from their wisdom and experiences. Learners can take time to reach out to those individuals, interview them, record their stories and then publish them to share with future generations. Some of my learners' favorite ways to publish are through video (iMovie, We Video), digital picture books (Mystorybook or Storyjumper), graphic novels, blogposts (KidBlog) or through animation (StikBots or PowToon).
- What middle level learners want most is to know that what they are learning in the classroom will empower them to make a difference in the world. Students can be given the opportunity to select a problem or issue within their world, investigate the causes and effects of that problem, devise a plan of action to make a positive impact in that arena, and publish a public relations campaign to reach their audience. This is a powerful opportunity to provide students with an authentic way to connect informational research with argumentative writing and speaking while affording them firsthand experience in the realm of social justice.
- Graphic novels are an excellent opportunity for students to practice mindful reading. Because of the structure of graphic novels, many students may be confused which panel to read next. By guiding them in strengthening their skills at using context clues to check for meaning and understanding, students develop an awareness of the skills necessary for decoding and deeply comprehending a text.
- Many times strong readers enter our classroom with an inherent ability to decode and determine meaning of unfamiliar words without understanding the process, they are using. Eventually, they will get to complex, unknown words and be unsure of how to glean meaning from a text. Conversely, struggling readers often get hung up on words they do not recognize and they shut down. One way to help all readers is to make the process of using context clues for challenging words visible for them. My learners practice this skill by creating their own context clues vocabulary games and activities. This provides them with the opportunity to identify words within a text they are reading, determine the meaning of the unknown words and then create different examples of those words by putting them into context for their peers to use as practice. Some of their favorite digital tools are Quizlet, Vocabulary.com, ProProfs, and Kahoot.
- The improv activity, Panel of Experts, provides learners with the opportunity to assume the role of a character and then be interviewed by the audience. Learners have to apply their knowledge of the character, both literal and inferred, in order to answer the questions. There are so many applications of improv techniques to support student literacy learning in the classroom. My favorite resources is The Second City Guide to Improv in the Classroom by Katherine McKnight.
- Character dialogues provide readers with the opportunity to create a dialogue between two different characters, either with the same text or different texts. Learners carefully examine and analyze character development and apply literal and inferred comprehension strategies to synthesize and create an original piece of writing in the form of a dialogue. Another option, is for learners to select a character (usually not the protagonist) and write an inner dialogue explaining the choices that he/she made.
Theme of Heroism
Reading (many of these strategies can be used as pre-. during, or post-reading)
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- A Brain Drain is an activity where learners have the opportunity to share everything they know on a topic. In our classroom, students are given a prompt and three minutes to record everything they know on a topic on a sticky note. Then they share what they have learned with a partner. After a two minute share time, students are given an additional minute to add anything to their brain drain. Following that time period, students share with a group of four peers for 4 minutes. Then the groups share what they discussed with the whole group.
- Curation of examples of heroes/antiheroes on Blendspace, a curation tool where URLs, videos, images and files can be collected into one space. Join codes can be added or dedicated URLs shared with learners. Quizzes and discussions can be created and inserted for students to take while they progress through a Blendspace.
- In a Photo/Word Sort, learners are given a collection of words or images where they investigate and sort them into categories. Students could be given a collection of photos(or words) of people who are heroes or antiheroes. After learners sort these words or photos, they should be able to justify why they sorted these images/words in the way that they did.
- Since students should only sit for the number of minutes as the years they are old, movement activities are crucial in our lessons. (For example, an eleven year old shouldn't be asked to sit and listen for more than eleven minutes.) One idea, it to have students participate in an "on the bus" type of activity. Students line up in the middle of the room in a single file line. The teacher then gives them the name of an individual (real or fictional). If a student believes this that person embodies the characteristics of a hero, he/she would step to the left side. If they feel like that individual does not represent the qualities of a hero, he/she steps to the right. Students are then given the opportunity to justify their choice. Then all of the students get back "on the bus" in the middle line and another name is provided for the game to continue.
- Using the characteristics of a ballad, students select a hero (real or fictional) to compose a ballad. Depending on time, learners can create an epic that includes the hero cycle of the protagonist.
- After reading a poem such as Heroes We Never Name, by M. Lucille Ford, students select an unnamed hero in their life and write them a thank you note.
- Using a current event article that involves controversy where there are two sides, students compose an argument supporting whether a person involved in that event is a hero or an anti-hero.
- The theme of heroism can be woven throughout social studies and science content. After learning about an individual who may be a hero or anti-hero, learners can create a FaKebook page. Learners create the bio information, including friends and family members. Additionally, they compose dialogues between that individual and their other "friends." This is an excellent opportunity for students to move beyond an "about" presentation to applying and inferring what their life may have been like.
- The theme of heroism can also be woven into special days. For Patriots' Day on September 11, we focus on the everyday heroes that supported the victims of 911. We begin with the video, Boatlift. They read fictional and informational accounts of every day heroes during that tragedy. Then students engage in activities such as blogging and tweeting in determining and sharing the characteristics of a true hero.
- In a Chalk Talk, students are provided with a short piece of text, a quote, or a thought-provoking question to respond to as a group by only using their writing. Connections are built, perspectives shared, and every voice is heard. Here is a piece I wrote about using a Chalk Talk with my students, When Walls Talk.
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George O’Connor
http://www.georgeoconnorbooks.com/ Twitter: @GeorgetheMighty Instagram: @thegeorgeoconnor Julie D. Ramsay
http://juliedramsay.blogspot.com/ Twitter and Instagram: @JulieDRamsay Email: [email protected] |