Title: The Giver Alternative Ending Technology Lesson
Subject/Grade Level: 8th
Grade, Level 2, Language Arts
Standards:
1.5.8.A: Write
with a clear focus, identifying topic, task, and audience and establishing a
single point of view.
1.5.8.B: Develop
content appropriate for the topic.
·
Gather, organize, and determine
validity and reliability of information
·
Employ the most effective format
for purpose and audience.
·
Write paragraphs that have
details and information specific to the topic and relevant to the focus.
Objectives:
- Students will be able to write an alternative
ending to The Giver using technology.
- Students will be able to share and comment on
a partner’s writing, using technology.
Anticipatory Set: Take a class poll by a show of hands. “Did you
like the ending of The Giver? Would you change it?”
Procedures:
Students will have just completed
reading The Giver.
Students will write an alternative
ending, or “24th chapter” to The Giver. They complete the
assignment on their Microsoft Surface tablets. Using Google Docs, they
will write at least two paragraphs.
Students will share their Google Doc
with a partner. They will read their partner’s piece. Using Google Doc’s
comment feature, students will respond to their partner’s alternative ending.
They will respond with at least two different comments to their partner,
including at least one thing that they liked.
Closure:
Students will complete an online exit
slip. They will visit a teacher-created link on https://todaysmeet.com/ and answer the question: “What makes a good ending to a
story, and why?” Students will type and submit their answers. They
can respond to each other’s comments.
Assessment:
Formative assessment will be used.
Students will share their completed Google Doc and comments with the
teacher. They will receive credit for completing the written portion,
making comments, and following directions.
Differentiation:
Using technology appeals to 21st
century learners. Some students feel more comfortable and may be more
engaged by working with technology.
The fact that assessment is formative
will be a form of differentiation because students at this level may not have
enough time in class to completely finish their pieces.
Materials:
- The Giver
- Surface tablets/laptops
Technology:
- Today’s Meet Link: https://todaysmeet.com
- Surface tablets/laptops
- Google Docs
Reflection on Planning:
Every 8th grade student at this particular middle school was given a personal Microsoft Surface tablet. Very few
classes actually have the students use them; however, I think the devices are
perfect for integrating technology into the curriculum and differentiating
towards 21st century learners.
The class just finished reading The
Giver. When I read the book for the first time, I was a little
dissatisfied with the ending at first. As I was thinking of questions to
ask the students while I was reading, one of the questions I raised was “How
would you end this story?” I then started to think that an alternative ending
to the book would be an engaging literacy activity for the students.
I wanted technology to be involved in
this lesson somehow, so I decided on Google Docs. Students are fairly new
to Google Docs. They started doing a Power Point presentation on the
program, but they haven’t had a chance to get to know all the features of
Google Docs. I figured that they would be able to write and share their
pieces using technology, and get to know a very useful program in Google Docs.
I thought that through sharing the
documents, the students could engage in literacy, but through a digital sense.
They are using dialogue by responding to their partner’s pieces, but digitally.
This might allow more students to comment on each other’s pieces if time
doesn’t permit in class. Students can share their pieces with their
peers, and many people can make comments at once, rather than having students
wait with their hands raised. In a sense, the comment feature can act as a
digital version of Peter’s Johnston’s dialogic classroom from Opening Minds.
“A dialogic classroom is one in which there are lots of open questions
and extended exchanges among students; there are multiple interpretations and
perspectives -- classrooms in which facts are considered in different contexts
and in which people challenge each other’s views and conclusions” (Johnston,
2012, p. 52). The students are getting a chance to speak their mind and
discuss each other’s pieces, but in a new kind of setting.
Although dialogic classrooms promote
expressing thoughts, it is important to create a respectful, positive, and
appropriate social environment, even though it is online. According to
the article “Creating Trust in Online Courses,” teachers should establish early
communication, develop a positive social atmosphere, reinforce predictable
patterns of communication action, and involve members in task. I am
already involving students and establishing communication by having them all
comment. By mentioning that the comments will be shared with the teacher
will keep comments appropriate and positive. I will encourage them to
write about things that they liked about each other’s article.
In general, the assignment should meet
the literacy needs of reading, writing, and communication. They will
write their essays, read each other’s, and share their thoughts.
Reflection on Instruction:
When
I got to the class, I found that about half of the class did not complete their
homework, which was to read the last chapter of The Giver. This caused me to
improvise. For those who did read the
chapter, I kept the same assignment that was written throughout the lesson
plan. For those that did not read, I had
them write a prediction, writing two paragraphs on how they think the story
will end. In a sense, both groups of
students were writing an ending to the book.
As
I was teaching this lesson, I thought of many different things I could have
done. First, I could have modeled an
example of an ending to the book. While
the students were writing, I started to write my own ending while walking
around observing and assisting students.
I was going to share mine, but I realized time was tight and I noticed most
of the students were very caught up in their own writings, once they got into a
groove. However, the fact that I wrote
my own motivated one particular student.
He said, “Are you writing one?” I
nodded, and he asked if he could have it (he had one sentence written at the
time). I responded: “No, but if I can
write a quick ending in less than two minutes, then you will be able to write a
really good one.” A few minutes after
that conversation, he had a full paragraph.
I
also should have displayed everything on the Smart Board, taking each student
step-by-step through Google Docs. A few
students were having issues, so I had to keep helping students
individually. It may have helped to stop
the whole class and walk them through it.
It would have cut down the technological issues.
Anytime
there is technology, there is going to be issues. A lot of students had trouble connecting to
the Internet. The comment features
didn’t work for others. To solve the comment issue, students just wrote in the
bottom of the Google Doc in a different color.
There really was no way to resolve the Internet issue. To read each other’s pieces, I had students
trade laptops if their Internet failed.
There
wasn’t enough time for the closure through the link, so I just asked the
students aloud and had them raise their hands to respond. My mentor teacher did like the idea of online
conversation through the Today’s Meet website, and thought it was something she
could use in the future.
In
general, students were able to follow directions and write some very creative
endings. They appeared to like the
assignment.
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