Completed Technology Intergrated Lesson Plan

Technology Integrated Lesson Plan: Comic Strip and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein  Grade Level Content Expectation(s): S.DS.02.01 engage in substantive conversations, remaining focused on subject matter, with interchanges building on prior responses in book discussions, peer conferencing, or other interactions.  Goals: Share initial impressions after reading Use literature to gain understandings about self and life Objective: Performance: Students will make personal connections to the story Conditions: Students will share in whole class discussion Criterion: Students will need to use at least one example Materials & supplies needed: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein Whiteboard and markers Question cards for groups Computers (as many available as possible) Substance of the Lesson: The number one idea I want the students to come away from this lesson with is how to make personal connections to a story. The students will be expected to come away with more experience sharing their impressions of a story after it is read. I will preface the lesson informing the students that this is what I want them to come away from the story thinking about. I want the student to be able to connect the story to their own lives and emotions. The students will have two opportunities to show that they have come away from the lesson with this: group discussion and comic strip creation using Pixton.com. Technology Integration: The technology I will be using to help my students reach the content goals of this lesson is Pixton.com This website lets users create their own comic strips. Using the site is easy and fun. The user can change almost anything about the characters from their hand placement to heir facial expressions. The students will be able to choose backgrounds, clothes, and settings for their characters. I am going to let each student create their own comic strip using the website. For this particular lesson the comic strips will accomplish two things: 1. Since the students will know at the beginning of lesson that they will be able to create comic strips on the computer at the end, I believe this will keep them engaged throughout 2. The comic strips will help the students find comfort in thinking about their own experiences and emotions when they are asked to reflect and relate the reading to their own lives. Procedures: -         Introduction: The first things I will do is introduce the book by reading the inside cover. I will then ask if any of the students have read or had the story read to them before. I often have found that I can motivate my students by letting them know how “cool” or important something is. Because of this, I will then tell the students that I grew up reading and having this story read to me (which is true by the way). Next, I will explain to the students that I am expecting them to listen quietly during the reading because they will have plenty of time to share after the story is read. I will then inform the students that I want them to really reflect on this reading so they need to listen carefully. I will also let them know that I want them to relate the book to themselves and their life so they will need to keep this in mind during the reading. Finally, I will tell the students that they are going to be able to create their very own comic strip online to go along with this reading. (3 minutes) -         During the Reading: For the most part I am planning on reading the story aloud without much pausing or student interaction. I want the students to be fully engaged in the story while thinking about ways to connect the story to their own lives. However, I am going to pause after each page and remind students to take a close look at the pictures because as simple as they are they add a lot to the story. (10 minutes) -         After the Reading: o    Discussion Time: I like to debrief as a whole class after reading before splitting up. I will first ask the students what they thought of the book and let a few kids share. I will leave a few open moments for questions and open discussion. Next, I am going to break the class up into groups (which I have already chosen beforehand to save some time). Each group will be handed a sheet of paper with questions on it for them to share. The questions will be: What did you think of the reading? 1.       How did the reading make you feel? 2.       Did the reading make you think of anything in your own life? 3.       What did it make you think of in your own life? During this time  I will be walking around and listening and interacting with each group (15 minutes). o    Planning Time: I will have each student return to their desks and write the two prompts on the board. The students will be told that they can choose one of the two prompts to base their comics on. I am going to give them 5 minutes to plan their comic before they can use the computers. The two prompts are:                 1. Create a comic based on how this book made you feel 2. Create a comic based on how this book relates to your own life. o    Comic Strip Creating Time: Each student will get an equal amount of time on the computer to explore and begin creating their comics. I am going to have a group of 5 to 10 students at a time so I there is a large amount accomplishing the task yet not too many so I can help each student as needed. The students will be given 20 minutes to create a 3 frame comic strip. Any student that does not finish will have other time provided for them later that day or the next to finish. (During this time, all students that are not working on the computers will have other things planned ahead of time for them to be doing. For example, reading, other tasks for another subject, etc.) Assessing the Students: The students grasping of the content will be judged based on two things: their participation in the group discussion as well as their completed comic strip. The student needs to share one example during group discussion. Each student’s comic strip will be expected to have a personal connection and understanding. Potential Student Creation: