Theme of Unit Plan
After receiving comments on my unit plan and thinking more about what I would like to do, I realized I need to think of a theme to revolve this unit plan around. The unit plan will focus on fairy tales. The students will read the poem "The Beast" by Gwen Strauss, see clips from the movie Beauty and the Beast, read a Brother's Grimm fairy tale and compare that with a movie version of the story (right now, I am thinking of the Cinderella story,) watch clips of The Princess and the Frog, and read Mark Twain's satirical short stories, "The Story of the Bad Little Boy Who Didn't Come to Grief" and "The Story of the Good Little Boy Who Did Not Prosper." As you can probably tell from the titles of the Twain short stories, the "good" character does not have a successful ending, like all fairy tales end with, and the "bad" character thrives at the end of the story. I also am trying to think of another text or movie clip that contains this message that the good characters do not always have happy endings and the bad characters succeed in life, but I have not thought of the right medium yet, so more on that later.
During this lesson, I would like the students to think about why fairy tales are so popular in our culture and how they change over time depending on the era the story or the movie was made/written in. I wanted the students to see clips from one of the latest Disney films, Princess and the Frog, because this movie presents a different female character than was typically present in the previous Disney movies. The main character in that movie is African American and she works extremely hard and she does not need a man to "save her." She saves herself.
Pre-Reading
For a pre-reading activity, I want to ask the students a time in their life when they personally knew someone who succeeded even though they did something wrong, or a person in history or pop culture that underwent a similar experience. This answer could be as simple as knowing someone who cheated on a test, and they got an "A" on it, whereas they studied for hours and did not cheat on the test, and they received a "C" on the same test. The students will write a response to this question, and after they were given time to think and write about an experience they had, I will ask for a few volunteers to share their experience.
Another pre-reading activity will be to ask the students to think about what criteria traditional fairy tales have. They will work in pairs and write down the traditional plot of fairy tales, how the male and female characters act, the age demographics of the characters, etc.
Formative Assessments
For a formative assessment after the students have read "The Beast" and watched clips from Beauty and the Beast, will be to have the students create a poster in groups about how the poem and the movie are similar and dissimilar. The students can create a venn diagram, or a chart, however they want to organize the information. I also want the students to think about what they liked about each and which story they thought was more realistic in terms of how life really is.
After the students read the Grimm fairy tale, I want them to compare that version of the story with the movie Cinderella, the version with Brandy, Whitney Houston, and Whoppi Goldberg. The students will compare these two mediums by doing the Semantic Differential Scale with different characters. I also want them to compare the endings of the story and the movie and what they liked about each and what they disliked about the endings of both.
Summative Assessment
The summative assessment that the students will have to complete at the end of the unit will be to write their own fairy tale with a new twist to it that is different from the previous classic fairy tales. For example, the students could write a story where the boy is saved by the girl or the "good" character does not encounter a happy ending. Students will work on this project in groups and they will need to include colored pictures in the story as well. After they have written their story, I think it would also be fun to have a book making day so they can put a cover on their story and have a more "professional" look to their project.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Proposal for Unit Lesson Plan
After thinking about what standards I want to use for the Unit Plan, I decided that I will incorporate the following standards in my lesson plan:
8.4.6.6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the
characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects
as suspense or humor.
7.5.7.7 Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video,
or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each
medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the
delivery of a speech affects the impact of the
words).
I will use the poem "The Beast" by Gwen Strauss to teach this unit. The poem is about the Beast from the classic story "Beauty and the Beast." The ending of the poem is vastly different from the ending of the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. I want to include media literacy in this unit plan, so I will show certain clips from the Disney movie after the students have done pre-reading activities for the poem and after they have read the poem. I want the students to compare clips of the movie and the poem and talk about various reasons why there are differences. Did the author and the Disney filmmakers have different goals in mind or different audiences that they wanted to reach? I also want students to think about how they would feel if they were the Beast in both scenarios. For an after-reading activity, I think it would be fun for the students to question whether the story would be different if the Beast was a woman and Beauty was a man. Their final project will be to create a story with pictures having gender roles reversed from the poem "The Beast" and the movie Beauty and the Beast. The students will work on this project in groups.
For this unit plan, I will need copies of the poem "The Beast" and access to a DVD player to play clips of the movie Beauty and the Beast. Students will also need art supplies, such as crayons and colored pencils, and paper to write their story.
Obviously, this is a very rough draft. If anyone has any more ideas about what I could do for a pre-reading activity or any other suggestions, please let me know. I am aware that this information does not contain enough materials for a five-day lesson plan, so if anyone has suggestions for other texts, I would appreciate it.
8.4.6.6 Analyze how differences in the points of view of the
characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created
through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects
as suspense or humor.
7.5.7.7 Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video,
or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each
medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the
delivery of a speech affects the impact of the
words).
I will use the poem "The Beast" by Gwen Strauss to teach this unit. The poem is about the Beast from the classic story "Beauty and the Beast." The ending of the poem is vastly different from the ending of the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. I want to include media literacy in this unit plan, so I will show certain clips from the Disney movie after the students have done pre-reading activities for the poem and after they have read the poem. I want the students to compare clips of the movie and the poem and talk about various reasons why there are differences. Did the author and the Disney filmmakers have different goals in mind or different audiences that they wanted to reach? I also want students to think about how they would feel if they were the Beast in both scenarios. For an after-reading activity, I think it would be fun for the students to question whether the story would be different if the Beast was a woman and Beauty was a man. Their final project will be to create a story with pictures having gender roles reversed from the poem "The Beast" and the movie Beauty and the Beast. The students will work on this project in groups.
For this unit plan, I will need copies of the poem "The Beast" and access to a DVD player to play clips of the movie Beauty and the Beast. Students will also need art supplies, such as crayons and colored pencils, and paper to write their story.
Obviously, this is a very rough draft. If anyone has any more ideas about what I could do for a pre-reading activity or any other suggestions, please let me know. I am aware that this information does not contain enough materials for a five-day lesson plan, so if anyone has suggestions for other texts, I would appreciate it.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Magnificent Writing Process
While all of the different writing processes we discussed in class are important, I really liked Soven's approach to writing. Writing is a process, and usually it is never finished. Even after students turn their paper in and they have received their grade, there is always something that can be improved or added. On the day a paper is due, one of my college professors has the students get into groups and we discuss what we wrote about to our peers. Our peers give us feedback on our paper and then we write a one-page reflection on what we could have added to our paper and the ideas that fellow students had. As a student, it can be frusterating because you realize you could have added something that would have really enhanced your paper, but it is a good learning technique. I think this would be too advanced for a middle school classroom, but I think high-schoolers could do it.
One of the most important things about the writing process is to give students time. Students need time to think about what they are going to write about and time to actually write it. Usually, good ideas do not just pop into our head when the teacher gives the student a writing prompt. Sometimes it will take days to think of a topic to write about. Soven talks about freewriting, which I think is a wonderful idea, especially for students who are stuck and do not know what to write about. Peter Elbow, who is mentioned in Soven's chapter, Teaching the Writing Process, states that students should not stop for anything while freewriting and they should, "Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought to use...If you get stuck it's fine to write 'I can't think what to say, I can't think what to say' as many times as you want...The only requirement is that you never stop" (35). This pre-writing activity at least gets students to write something down on paper. Usually when students do not know what to write about, they just stare at a blank piece of paper. This usually will not help them come up with an idea. Teachers need to provide pre-writing activities for students who do not have an idea about what to write about.
Soven and Atwell also mention peer writing groups, which I think are an effective way for students to get feedback on their writing, as long as students are not only writing, "I liked your paper" and nothing else. As teachers, we need to provide students with the resources and tools so that students know how to be an effective editor. Talking about peer writing groups, Soven writes, "Students read their papers aloud twice while the other students in their group take notes. After the students reads, the group tells the author their reactions" (49). I also think it is important for students to write down their reactions and ideas to their peers' papers because some students may be too shy to tell the person what they thought of their paper to the rest of the group.
Writing is a long process and teachers need to provide activities for each stage of the writing process to help students generate ideas and revise their papers. Teachers also need to give students time to work on their paper. After students are used to the writing process, hopefully they will become more confident in their writing style and that they enjoy writing!
One of the most important things about the writing process is to give students time. Students need time to think about what they are going to write about and time to actually write it. Usually, good ideas do not just pop into our head when the teacher gives the student a writing prompt. Sometimes it will take days to think of a topic to write about. Soven talks about freewriting, which I think is a wonderful idea, especially for students who are stuck and do not know what to write about. Peter Elbow, who is mentioned in Soven's chapter, Teaching the Writing Process, states that students should not stop for anything while freewriting and they should, "Never stop to look back, to cross something out, to wonder how to spell something, to wonder what word or thought to use...If you get stuck it's fine to write 'I can't think what to say, I can't think what to say' as many times as you want...The only requirement is that you never stop" (35). This pre-writing activity at least gets students to write something down on paper. Usually when students do not know what to write about, they just stare at a blank piece of paper. This usually will not help them come up with an idea. Teachers need to provide pre-writing activities for students who do not have an idea about what to write about.
Soven and Atwell also mention peer writing groups, which I think are an effective way for students to get feedback on their writing, as long as students are not only writing, "I liked your paper" and nothing else. As teachers, we need to provide students with the resources and tools so that students know how to be an effective editor. Talking about peer writing groups, Soven writes, "Students read their papers aloud twice while the other students in their group take notes. After the students reads, the group tells the author their reactions" (49). I also think it is important for students to write down their reactions and ideas to their peers' papers because some students may be too shy to tell the person what they thought of their paper to the rest of the group.
Writing is a long process and teachers need to provide activities for each stage of the writing process to help students generate ideas and revise their papers. Teachers also need to give students time to work on their paper. After students are used to the writing process, hopefully they will become more confident in their writing style and that they enjoy writing!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Using Film to Enhance ELA Classrooms
I am a huge proponent of using film in the classroom to help enhance a lesson, especially in an ELA classroom. I think students can relate to movies because they probably have grown up watching them. As future teachers, it is important for us to provide relevant clips from films and to show the students how to actively engage while watching a movie. In order to do this, I am going to provide a few tips that I think are necessary for teachers to use:
1. Show Short Clips
As Rachel said in class, generally showing an entire movie is not the most active activity for students to do. Teachers should show shorter clips or show two different film adaptations of the same scene. The students can compare and contrast the two clips. If teachers do show the entire movie, they should pause the movie and ask the students questions and have them reflect on what they just watched.
2. Have an Assessment
Students should have a worksheet while they are watching the movie, or they should have to write a paper on the film (whether that is comparing the movie to the book, comparing the two clips from different film adaptations, etc.) Students need to know that they will be assessed somehow on the information in the film. Also, let the students know that watching a movie does not mean that it is nap time. Make sure the students are paying attention to the movie.
3. Teach How to Critically Watch and Write about a Film
Teachers should teach the elements of film, such as the sound, lighting, camera angles, character's movement and expression, etc., along with the proper terminology. Teachers also need to teach students how to write about films. Here is a website that provides some examples, along with some sample papers on movies that the students had to watch: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/literary.htm.
4. Ask Questions
While watching a film, students should be asking themselves questions. Whose voice is missing in the film? Which age demographic, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., is left out of the movie. Students need to critically think while watching a movie or clip during class and I believe asking questions is a good way for students to do this.
Using film in the classroom provides many benefits for students. Students enjoy watching films in class. They are able to compare and contrast the book to the movie. The students can see different elements that perhaps they could not visualize in the book. Teachers need to be sure that the students are actively engaged and not just passively watching the film, like they would when they sit in front of the television at home. As long as films are used in the classroom effectively and appropriately, I think they are a great tool that teachers should take advantage of.
1. Show Short Clips
As Rachel said in class, generally showing an entire movie is not the most active activity for students to do. Teachers should show shorter clips or show two different film adaptations of the same scene. The students can compare and contrast the two clips. If teachers do show the entire movie, they should pause the movie and ask the students questions and have them reflect on what they just watched.
2. Have an Assessment
Students should have a worksheet while they are watching the movie, or they should have to write a paper on the film (whether that is comparing the movie to the book, comparing the two clips from different film adaptations, etc.) Students need to know that they will be assessed somehow on the information in the film. Also, let the students know that watching a movie does not mean that it is nap time. Make sure the students are paying attention to the movie.
3. Teach How to Critically Watch and Write about a Film
Teachers should teach the elements of film, such as the sound, lighting, camera angles, character's movement and expression, etc., along with the proper terminology. Teachers also need to teach students how to write about films. Here is a website that provides some examples, along with some sample papers on movies that the students had to watch: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/literary.htm.
4. Ask Questions
While watching a film, students should be asking themselves questions. Whose voice is missing in the film? Which age demographic, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc., is left out of the movie. Students need to critically think while watching a movie or clip during class and I believe asking questions is a good way for students to do this.
Using film in the classroom provides many benefits for students. Students enjoy watching films in class. They are able to compare and contrast the book to the movie. The students can see different elements that perhaps they could not visualize in the book. Teachers need to be sure that the students are actively engaged and not just passively watching the film, like they would when they sit in front of the television at home. As long as films are used in the classroom effectively and appropriately, I think they are a great tool that teachers should take advantage of.
Friday, October 29, 2010
The Importance of Young Adult Literature
When Terry Evans began her presentation last week by reading a children's book, I thought she was joking. We are college students, not elementary school children. After she finished reading, I thought, "What was the point of that?" Later in the presentation, when she began reading the first few pages of a young adult literature book, I was hooked. I immediately wrote the title and author of the book she read because I wanted to read it myself. I began to realize the power of reading aloud to people. I would argue that reading children's books aloud to people is not always effective, but when she read the young adult book aloud to us, I thought that was effective. I think it varies depending on the audience you are speaking to. Reading aloud to students was a powerful tool that I will implement in my classroom. I also think showing students the book trailer is a good tool for exciting students about a text.
I agreed with Terry that we, as educators, need to create a "community of readers." We need to pick literature that students can relate to so they see themselves reflected in the text. Students also need to have the choice to pick literature they read. At practicum, one of the my teachers gave the students a class period to pick a book they were going to read in the upcoming unit. They did not have total free reign. She had thirty books that the students previewed and then from those books, they wrote down their top five choices. I think this is better than forcing students to always read the same text that the teacher chose.
I really appreciated Terry's comment about not being a "literary snob." I admit that I can be a "literary snob" at times, but I am trying to break away from that. This summer, I found the book Twilight at a garage sale for a quarter. I had seen the first two movies, and I thought they were okay, but I did not understand what was so amazing about the series. I decided to buy the book because it was so cheap and I read it. I wanted to see what was so attractive about vampires to teenagers. The book is not amazing, but it was not the worst book I ever read either. As Terry said, if students get excited about reading, teachers should not discourage that, even if the text is not brilliantly written. At least students are excited about a book! I think it is important for teachers to read the young adult literature that students are reading. We can also give suggestions to students if we keep up with the most popular young adult literature too. Here is a link to the best young adult literature in 2010, according to the Young Adult Library Services Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bbya2010.cfm
I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's presentation last week and I will definetly try and keep up with the popular young adult literature because it is extremely important for teachers to provide titles for young adult readers who want to read current literature that relates to their lives.
I agreed with Terry that we, as educators, need to create a "community of readers." We need to pick literature that students can relate to so they see themselves reflected in the text. Students also need to have the choice to pick literature they read. At practicum, one of the my teachers gave the students a class period to pick a book they were going to read in the upcoming unit. They did not have total free reign. She had thirty books that the students previewed and then from those books, they wrote down their top five choices. I think this is better than forcing students to always read the same text that the teacher chose.
I really appreciated Terry's comment about not being a "literary snob." I admit that I can be a "literary snob" at times, but I am trying to break away from that. This summer, I found the book Twilight at a garage sale for a quarter. I had seen the first two movies, and I thought they were okay, but I did not understand what was so amazing about the series. I decided to buy the book because it was so cheap and I read it. I wanted to see what was so attractive about vampires to teenagers. The book is not amazing, but it was not the worst book I ever read either. As Terry said, if students get excited about reading, teachers should not discourage that, even if the text is not brilliantly written. At least students are excited about a book! I think it is important for teachers to read the young adult literature that students are reading. We can also give suggestions to students if we keep up with the most popular young adult literature too. Here is a link to the best young adult literature in 2010, according to the Young Adult Library Services Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bbya2010.cfm
I thoroughly enjoyed Terry's presentation last week and I will definetly try and keep up with the popular young adult literature because it is extremely important for teachers to provide titles for young adult readers who want to read current literature that relates to their lives.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Professionals
Here is my list of professional blogs that I follow:
1. Detention Slip
2. The Gradebook
3. Cool Cat Teacher Blog
4. Beyond School
5. Education State
Here is my list of professional "tweets" that I follow:
1. EduNut
2. @feministteacher
3. @DanNQTLondon
4. karlaolson
5. @teacherfriend
1. Detention Slip
2. The Gradebook
3. Cool Cat Teacher Blog
4. Beyond School
5. Education State
Here is my list of professional "tweets" that I follow:
1. EduNut
2. @feministteacher
3. @DanNQTLondon
4. karlaolson
5. @teacherfriend
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Blog Reflection
As some of you know, I am not technologically savvy. I have written blogs before for another class, but I became more familiar with blogs and the benefit they have through this class. I feel a little more comfortable with technology, although I have anxiety about using Twitter. I think it is important for me, as a future teacher, to become familiar with the aspects that encompass the Technology Age, because our students live and breathe technology and I am sure the amount of technology in the future will increase and new technological inventions will be made.
Pros
Blogs are a good way for teachers to read the ideas and thoughts of individual students. In class, some students might not have the desire or opportunity to share their ideas with the entire class and blogs are a way for these students’ voices to be heard. Blogs also bring a sense of comradorey with their peers and students can comment on each other’s blogs for new ideas and showing different perspectives that the person blogging might not have considered.
Cons
I think there are some negative aspects about using blogs for a classroom though. If someone in the group consistently does not post a blog or if they do not comment on their group's posts, the blog cannot effectively work the way it should. Blogging also takes away personal connections, in my opinion. I think it is important for students to be able to talk one-on-one with an actual human being, instead of writing their responses on a computer.
Although I will not be the kind of teacher who is the first person to implement these new technological aspects into my teaching, I will eventually learn how to use them effectively with my style of teaching and with the way I teach my ELA classroom. I realize I am an "old school" person, but I will try and remain as open-minded as I can about future technological gadgets and gizmos that can improve learning in the classroom. If the students can relate to literature better by using technology, I will use it. As a teacher, I want what is best for the students and for their learning abilities. I want them to be successful people in the future, and I will do whatever it takes.
Pros
Blogs are a good way for teachers to read the ideas and thoughts of individual students. In class, some students might not have the desire or opportunity to share their ideas with the entire class and blogs are a way for these students’ voices to be heard. Blogs also bring a sense of comradorey with their peers and students can comment on each other’s blogs for new ideas and showing different perspectives that the person blogging might not have considered.
Cons
I think there are some negative aspects about using blogs for a classroom though. If someone in the group consistently does not post a blog or if they do not comment on their group's posts, the blog cannot effectively work the way it should. Blogging also takes away personal connections, in my opinion. I think it is important for students to be able to talk one-on-one with an actual human being, instead of writing their responses on a computer.
Although I will not be the kind of teacher who is the first person to implement these new technological aspects into my teaching, I will eventually learn how to use them effectively with my style of teaching and with the way I teach my ELA classroom. I realize I am an "old school" person, but I will try and remain as open-minded as I can about future technological gadgets and gizmos that can improve learning in the classroom. If the students can relate to literature better by using technology, I will use it. As a teacher, I want what is best for the students and for their learning abilities. I want them to be successful people in the future, and I will do whatever it takes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)