Two of my favorite content areas to incorporate literacy are science and social studies. I think these are two areas you can be very creative and expose students to different types of literature. When I taught 2nd grade I used picture books, both non-fiction and fiction, to give students a background of Native American Indians. Literature is a great way for students to gain perspective of cultures and lives during different time periods. Both biographies and historical fiction novels can help students understand the living environment in a certain time period. For example, when I taught fourth grade and we studied Missouri History or more specifically the Lewis and Clark expedition we read a variety of different journal articles as well as biographies. As part of my assessment for both units students created a fictional character and documented his or her experiences in a journal. I haven't taught in three years but I can picture using technology tools like creating a blog or wiki page for students to create journal accounts. I also thought a group project using digital storytelling to describe history, culture, and events of both these time periods.
During my student teaching for a fourth grade class I taught a unit on phases of the moon. I revisited this unit last semester and incorporated both literature and technology to make it more creative and fun. Moon by Gail Gibbons was a great starter to my unit. I added a video from BrainPop, a Webquest, and a collaborative research project with the Library Media Specialist. I modified the lessons by giving more time for students to complete tasks and the option of working with a partner. I think working collaboratively with the LMS would could both help students with goals. I think we have to remember the resources we have in the school environment collaborating with colleagues can give us great ideas to add literacy into different content areas.
I love that your Moon Unit had so many components... literacy, technology, and collaboration! Isn't BrainPop just a fabulous addition to any topic! I have seen these videos change the atmosphere in a math classroom and provide a fun learning experience. I see this especially with the quiz section - it wasn't until BrainPop did my students ever ASK me to take a quiz :0)
ReplyDeleteI am a BrainPop fan also! Even the middle school students love it and are excited when they hear the "pop" sound. Sometimes adding that visual component (and a little humor) can really make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteI also agree about the need to collaborate either in our school buildings or in the virtual environment. I joined a few Edmodo communities this last spring and I love the ability to ask questions and share ideas at any time.
If you ever go back to 4th grade the kids would love the added technology components to those lessons! I am excited about all of the ways we are learning to incorp wikis and other technologies into lessons and activities that we alrady do with our students.
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