Part Three: Applying

Technology is an interesting piece to add to any classroom. A teacher must be prepared to handle any type of miscommunication to the students along with technical malfunctions. I believe it is a teacher’s job to ensure that every student becomes exposed to technology. A student may not receive proper training at home due to their family’s specific situation, so a teacher needs to reinforce the technology aspect of education. A teacher could hold monthly classes where the library or media center is opened for student and parent involvement. The student could become the teacher and the parent could become the student. This would also be a great way for parents to monitor student’s progress while in school. Regardless, as our global economy is trickling through many more businesses, it is important that teachers begin to incorporate these same ideas into the classroom to ultimately prepare students for life after elementary, middle, and high school. Within my project, I included story pyramids, wordle, and blogging.
I found a story pyramid application on the internet and thought it would be a useful way to show comprehension of a passage of entire book while keeping the information neat and organized using a computer instead of paper and pencil. The application was user friendly and did indeed produce a pyramid. I feel as though students could read a book and show that they understand the material based on their answers in the pyramid. The pyramid is easy to use; it explains what to put in each line on the site. A student could complete this task with minimal teacher interaction.
I also used a wordle which is a great tool to use in discussing adjective. A teacher could introduce adjectives with this application and make a display in the wall. A student would be able be able to see their work and always remember what an adjective it. I do not like how you can not put phrases into the picture. If a sentence is entered, all that is able to be seen are words. I did not care too much for that limitation, nor did my student. She wanted to put her entire idea in the wordle as a phrase and it would not let her. She also had trouble figuring out how to make certain words larger than others. It took her a couple of times, but she was finally able to enter the word multiple times to make it larger.
Blogging would be a neat dynamic to add to a classroom. It is important to communicate to students that this is a great way to speak to a large amount of people at one time that are not necessarily present. This is a small introduction into the corporate world. It could also be a baby step into the introduction of emailing. Overall, I feel as though this could make a large impact into a classroom, especially if a teacher’s students have access tom computers at home. A teacher could design an interactive website for students and parents where their homework was posted. Either students or teacher could pose questions that all could see and the teacher could respond.
Finding a way to incorporate technology is a critical component for students from this day in age and on. Teachers should find a way to not only incorporate technology through media or computer time, but through instruction time. Not only will students have a better understanding of the advanced digital world, but will also be successful within the classroom with a realistic portrayal of our working society and ultimately our global society that is vastly changing and developing everyday.

Part Two: Gathering

http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Notebook+Activities/Browse+Notebook/United+States/Elementary/4-6/Language+Arts/

This website is great if the classroom has a SMART board. I do not have a SMART board, but my partnership school and State has several, and I was able to explore with the Smarttech site. There are many applications to download that can aid in teaching. There are applications for helping students form haikus, cinquains, conjunctions, clause, adverbs, and many other English grammar practice. This website is perfect for a SMART equipped classroom. It would motivate and encourage students to learn while having fun.

http://www.boobis.com/students/pyramid.html

This website is an application for the story pyramid. This is a strategy to help students with comprehension. The pyramid also could be used for character traits and relationships with other characters. Even though the website is quite plain, it allows the students to type into the fields designated by line numbers. A student would be able to enter their descriptive words or their five word sentence and the application would compile it for the students. It is a clean neat way to keep ideas organized and for children to be further involved with technology via a computer.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Audiences/Educators/)

At first glance, this website looks great for a science classroom, but upon further inspection this website reaches across all curriculums. There is a helpful site just for educators that breaks down activity guides, worksheets, and helps to educate students about domestic and foreign animals. There are also articles available to read about different animals that would further students knowledge about foreign animals that they maybe will never see. These articles allow for the meshing of science and reading. Even though there is a fee, it seems to be well worth while.

Song of the Trees by Mildred Taylor Illustrations by Jerry Pinkney: Historical Fiction

Mildred Taylor has written this story about her father, David, living in Mississippi during the Depression. Work was scare there and he hears of a job in Louisiana laying railroad ties. He fares well there sending money home whenever he can. While David is south, Cassie helps her mother and grandmother, Big Ma, out around the house. She has grown very fond of their trees surrounding their house. She plays in them with her friends, they produce berries, they sing to her, they are beautiful to look at, and they are worth a lot of money. Mr. Anderson offers sixty-five dollars to chop down however many he feels sixty-five dollars is worth, trying to take advantage of their land and their family. I did not like this book. I felt while the story somewhat represented a typical African American family, it did not represent economic hardships adequately enough. I feel as though I would put my money towards a better book that serves as a better example of the time.

Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol Illustrated by Scott Cameron: Historical Fiction

This is a dialogue expressed through letters of a nephew, Christopher, and his uncle Karl. Christopher’s father recently died and his other is now financially strapped. She ends up renting out the second story in the Christopher’s house to a madman Ludwig van Beethoven. As the story continues, Christopher’s frustrations and embarrassments become empathy as Beethoven deals with being deaf and a profound love for the music that he creates. Real events in Beethoven’s life are told through the fictional letters of a boy and his uncle. I enjoyed reading this book and I think it appropriately explains a person’s differences and how important it is to try to understand them and how not to judge a person by those differences. I believe students would greatly benefit from reading this and it could open the door in discussions dealing handicaps.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell: Historical and Chapter

O’Dell based this novel on an actual historical figure known at The Lost Woman of San Nicholas, who lived on the island from 1835-1853. A Russian group called the Aleuts, inhabits the island wanting to hunt otter. A fight breaks out after the Russians do not make a sufficient payment for using their island. This novel is about the will power to live after sister and brother, Karana and Ramo’s, tribe accidentally leaves them as they decide to migrate away from their island. Soon after, Ramo ventures away from his sister and is mauled by wild dogs. Karana wants revenge after her brother’s death and decides to smoke the wild dogs out of their cave. She spears the lead dog and eventually takes him in and nurses him back to health. He becomes her protector. This book has enough subplots that hooks the reader and would be interesting in a book talk since there are many dimensions to the story. I would use this book in a mature fifth grade class because of its subject matter.

The Egyptian Cinderella by S. Climo Illustrated by R. Helley: Traditional/Folk

http://www.boobis.com/students/pyramid.html

Story Pyramid for The Egyptian Cinderella
By Shirley Climo
Rhodopis
Greek Slave
Unfair Lonely Teasing
Rose-Red Gold Slippers Made
Egyptian Servant Girls were Jealous
Falcon Swooped Down and Snatched Slippers
Falcon Took Slippers to Pharoah Amasis Palace
Pharoah Amasis married Rhodopis and became his Queen


Pyramid created by Kat Davis

This version of Cinderella was not all that different from the standard typical version of Cinderella. The main thing I noticed was that Rhodopis was not Egyptian. She did not have a copper color to her nor were her eyes brown. Everyone was jealous of her from the beginning because of her looks, and because she wore beautiful shoes that were made especially for her because they had a sturdy worker’s sole. I would use a story pyramid within my classroom to aid student’s thinking about text and to help them consolidate the main idea of the story into a manageable one. This application was very helpful in the organization process and I fell as though it would be easy for upper elementary students to use and access.

The Emperor’s New Clothes by Hans Christian Anderson Illustrated by V. Burton: Traditional/Folk

This is a classic fairy tale that tells a story about an obsession of clothes. The Emperor does not tend to any of his official duties; instead, he lavishly spends money to extend his wardrobe with the finest fabrics and newest looks. Ultimately, the Emperor is caught up in his obsession and is swindled out of money and becomes the laughing stock of the town when he parades around the town naked. I feel as though despite this being a classic humorous traditional fairy tale, there are important lessons to be learned that are applicable to real life. Do not put all your eggs into one basket, if it seems too good to be true it probably it is, and just to be honest with yourself. I would have this book in my collection because this would be a great way to generate a class discussion and the students could relate events to their own life. I feel as though pieces of this book are directly applicable to real life despite it being a fairy tale.

The Story of The Milky Way by J. Bruchac and G. Ross Paintings by V. Stroud: Traditional/Folk

This a traditional Cherokee legend that tells the tale of the world before stars in the sky. A young man in the village vows to find the thief. He comes to find that an eerie lit spirit dog keeps stealing the cornmeal and with the advice of an elder and the entire village, they village is able to drive the spirit away. This book depicts an authentic Cherokee village and how they would deal with a problem. This story has been passed down through many generations. It is important to inform children of other cultures and their stories especially since may Cherokee Indians live in western North Carolina, and even though this is a fictional story, students can make a connection of different inhabitants of North Carolina. Students could have the opportunity to make their own legend to explain some type of phenomena as an activity which would incorporate writing, art, and social studies.

Commander Toad and the Big Black Hole by J Yolen Illustrated by B Degen: Science/Mod Fantasy

Commander Toad has led his crew of Star Wartz to a black hole while moving through space. They notice a tongue that is pink, sticky, and long coming from the hole. Commander Toad is left with only one thing to do, sing like his mother taught him to the tune of Home on the Range. “Oh, give me a hole, on the side of a mole, where the deermice and the jackrabbits play…etc”. I feel as though this collection would encourage younger students and even struggling reads to become more engaged with the text. It could also promote curiosity by students wanting to know the difference between a frog and a toad.

Flotsam by David Wiesner: Science/Mod Fantasy

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/650699/Flotsam

This book demonstrates the importance of pictures. There are no words and through watercolors, a wonderful story of an unordinary day at the beach is told. This science fiction picture book would be a great starting point for introducing narrative writing. I would ask questions such as: How do words hook the reader into a story? Does sentence fluency make a story flow? How does precise word choice show character’s actions, thoughts, and feelings? Do the pictures do the story justice or would text make it more enjoyable for the reader? What text would you add if you wanted to add words?

Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 3: Here There Be Monsters by Paul Jenkins; Inker: Damion Scott: Graphic Novel: Science/Mod Fantasy

After serving in the military and losing an arm in the service, Dr. Curt Connors can no longer continue to perform surgery and throws himself into a last desperation attempt to scientific study. His love and interest for reptiles leads the doctor to believe he can inject himself with a serum from a reptile that will help to regenerate his missing limb. This serum not only re-grew his arm, but also added a few other reptile-like features, leaving him dubbed with the name “The Lizard”. His new body has left him three times the strength of Spider-Man, but only half as intelligent as him as well. Spider-Man is left with the challenge of controlling his friend and preventing further self-destructive behaviors through this action packed graphic novel. This story would be useful in an art class or to help students sequence parts of a story. I could see myself also using this comic book to introduce an idea of a newspaper and what make up the parts of one. This novel seems to only be for entertainment purposes, but I could definitely connect certain elements with academic topics. I feel as though this could captivate boy’s attention and promote reading.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt: Science/ Mod Fantasy and Chapter

This is a complex story of grappling with the decision of life and death or immortality. Winnie is an over protected child who has wanted to run away from home. She gets the chance to when she meets the Tuck Family and discovers their secret in the Foster Woods, a spring that freezes time and has done so for this family. The Tucks must not let this secret out in fear that it will change the world forever. Mae Tuck ends up killing a man and is sent to prison. Jesse and Winnie know that Mae cannot be in jail for a long period of time because people will notice her lack of aging. All the while Jesse wants Winnie to drink from the spring when she reaches the age of seventeen so they can travel the world together. I would love to have this book in my collection to add a jumping off point for persuasive arguments. Arguing for and against immortality would ignite students, generate discussion, and a teacher could refine the discussion by recording what was said and reviewing later while interjecting ideas and comments such as: stating your opinion clearly in a sentence or two, defining the scope of your argument while making an assertion that is open to debate.

Come Look with Me: Discovering African American Art for Children by Lickle Publishing and J Rolling Jr.: Multicultural

Come Look with Me is an interactive series that take 12 pieces of African American artwork and poses inviting and provoking questions. This book’s artwork and text allows the reader to think about answers that African Americans have struggle to address as they have made a new identity for themselves since being treated like property. My favorite piece is an oil canvas called the Banjo Lesson by Henry Ossawa Tanner. It depicts an elderly man, presumably a father figure, with a young boy on his lap holding a banjo trying to play. There are pots and pans on the floor and the overall picture is pretty dark. The questions posed include: Is the old man trying to the boy a song, What is that instrument they are holding in their hands, Why are those pots on the floor, Are they all alone in the house? After the age appropriate questions, there is a history of the artist and then of the painting and what it represents. This book would be an asset to any classroom, especially and art classroom. I would also like to have the series in its entirety. Looking at art also allows children time to interact with their feelings and express those feelings.

Sounder by William H Armstrong; Illustrated by James Barkley: Multicultural and ChapterSounder by William H Armstrong; Illustrated by James Barkley: M

Sounder is a heart wrenching multicultural novel speaking of when African Americans were oppressed and were not educated. This novel is about a black sharecropper’s family who are nearly starving and the unjust actions put on the family from white supremacist. Poor and hungry, the father and the dog, Sounder, are forced to go hunting each night for food but come up empty handed most night, until one day the family awakes to the smell of ham. Three men come to the house and accuse the father of stealing the ham and abruptly take him to jail. The remaining members of the family have to grapple with added responsibilities and no father. Running home from a brutal visit to the jail, the boy meets a teacher who ultimately takes him in and teaches him how to read and write. This novel is fiction, but it does portray the life of African-American life styles during this time frame. I would use this book with an upper aged class due to its intense description and graphic portrayal of day to day life. It is important to show kids history and for them to learn from racial mistakes in order to not continue the cycle.

Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look Illustrated by Yumi Heo: Multicultural

This story is great in educating students about the many traditions of a Chinese Wedding and to illuminate children’s feelings when adding a new member to the family. Will I still be loved? Will I ever get to see them? Will the member like me? Some of the Chinese wedding traditions include a tea ceremony, exchanging good luck money called hungbau, and helping the bride change in and out of her many dresses. Food at a tea ceremony includes: fish, roast suckling pig, pigeon, chicken, and lobster and desert bun with lotus seeds stuffed inside. In modern Chinese wedding, the bride changes dresses at least 3 times at the wedding day. She would start with a western style white wedding gown for a church for civil ceremony. Then at the tea ceremony, she would change into a traditional Chinese bridal dress for the reception. Before the end of the banquet, she would change into a cocktail dress, and great the guests, and then see them off at the door, thus this dress is also called "Song Ke" (See Guests Off) dress. I think this is important to read in a classroom to educate students about another culture’s wedding ceremony.

Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Maya by Leonard Everett Fisher: Nonfiction

Known for its skill at astronomy, mathematics, and building, the Ancient Mayan civilization prospered over a thousand years ago. Fisher has described the importance of twelve Mayan Gods including their powers, gifts, and what they looked like. He includes Gods such as Ek Chuah, God of war, whose companion was death, and another such as Chac God of rain, who was a benevolent and kind God. This book would be good to have in an upper grades classroom if you had a student who was from South America and still believed in some of these Gods or if your curriculum focus was on different religious beliefs. This could be a touchy subject for some students. A teacher should make sure that it is appropriate for her class. It would be also good for creative writing. A student could draw up their own God and write a short passage about it.

Follow the Dream by Peter Sis Illustrations were done in oil, ink, and watercolor, and gouache on a surface that was first prepared with gesso, follow

Through the brilliant pictures, Peter Sis delivers a beautiful tale of exactly how Christopher Columbus traveled from Palos, Spain to the New World in 1492. Columbus made his plea multiple times to the throne to receive the funding to sail west to find new trade route to the Orient. Instead, he found what he called America that is our home today. Even though the story is accurate and informative, the pictures are what draw the read in and keep you anxious to turn every page. This would be an unbelievable book to have in a classroom. I feel as though this could almost be a picture book without any words, but it would need to have a better title to give readers a better idea of what the book is about.

Gorillas by Seymour Simon: Nonfiction

Simon has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution to deliver the reader with an incredible insight on gorillas. There are only three types of gorillas in the world, the western lowland gorilla, the eastern lowland gorillas, and the mountain gorilla, and they all live in Africa. The only way to tell each species apart is based on the color of their hair. The book discusses the way gorillas communicate and travel. I like this book because the author writes in a way that compares humans to gorillas. It discusses how we have the same appendages, bones, and fewer teeth than gorillas have. This book along with the rest of the series highlights animals that are misrepresented through movies and television shows. I think this is extremely important to show students that movies are not real and most of the time gives false information about truly incredible creatures. Also, learning about seemingly frightening animals will diminish fear of the unknown. Any book in this series would be great to have in a classroom!

T Is For Tar Heel by C. Crane Illustrated by Gary Palmer: Nonfiction

T is for Tar Heel at first seems as though it is meant for a Kindergarten classroom, but upon further inspection, this book offers a delightful surprise. Even though Carol Crane includes simple rhyming passages for younger children, she included longer expository text for older students that provide important information of various landmarks, symbols, and people. This book comes in a series where the reader is able to learn in similar ways about other states and America. This book is very versatile as far as being able to work for Kindergarten and the upper grades. It could be used for students who have just located to the area or for ELL students who have seen some of these landmarks and can make a personal connection through the text.

Stonehenge by Caroline Malone and Nancy Bernard: Nonfiction and Chapter

This book discusses the mystery behind Stonehenge and how the stones called lintels, actually arrived at the site. The stones were alternately tongued and grooved to easy attach to its neighboring stone. This method was copied from the Woodhenge site. The stones were moved from place to place by being slid by a team of at least ten men on rollers to a pre-dug hole with three straight sides and a fourth side that was sloped and lined with wood. This book would be great to have in a collection because most people do not get to see an impressive architectural feature such as this in their lifetime. This book would be a great way to visit and learn about Stonehenge. There are vivid pictures to emphasis its historical significance.

Thomas Jefferson by Rebecca Aldridge: Biography and Chapter

This biography covers the life of Thomas Jefferson including the events his likes from when he was a young boy, to after he was the President of the United States. He was a student who would study about 15 hours a day at the College of William and Mary, where he was a law student, who ultimately took cases, involving slavery, divorce, and religious freedom without charge. On June 11, 1776, Congress chose Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence at age 33. It took him about two weeks to write a document that was continuously revised; 86 times to be exact. For a while, his role as author was kept a secret for protection purposes. This novel had excellent facts about the President and gave good details about his life. This is a book that I could definitely see using in a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade classroom talking about civic duties and what this documentation means to our country.