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Approaches To Non-Fiction
Blending Literacy, Technology & Grade 8 HistoryAnne Shillolo, March 2012
Using a Smartboard, Senteo Smart Response Clickers and the resources of a computer lab can help animate the Grade 8 curriculum which covers Confederation, exploration of the West and other issues.
Bitstrips, Glogster, Prezi, Twiducate, Smart Notebook, Moviemaker
Overview
Too often history is taught in an old-school style involving textbooks and dates
Or based on random units or events Why? Rarely using a specialist teacher at the
Intermediate level Huge amount of curriculum content
Old Vs. New
In the classroom, we encounter a wide range of learning styles, including:
-- -- -- --
Learning Styles
VARK: visual, auditory, read/write, kinesthetic
Are we meeting the needs of all learners?
Learning Styles
“Reading in the content areas” and using subject integration is a great way to open up both the history and English curricula
Even in a rotary school, consultation among staff can make it work
Geography, Science, Health as well
Reading Non-Fiction
Content-based courses integrated with English or Language Arts involving all strands
Reading Writing Oral communication Media
Integration
Content comes from various subject areas Reading and writing strategies are applied Literacy across the curriculum Technology for engagement and
differentiation
A Two-Way Street
New methods of presenting New methods of assessing Activating prior knowledge of curriculum
topics and their country Engagement Sharing my enthusiasm for history
Goals
Overall:◦1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning
◦2. recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning
Relevant English Expectations
Specific◦ 1.1 … informational texts (e.g … essays, Canadian and
global print and online sources, electronic texts, textbooks…)
◦ 1.4 demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex and difficult texts by summarizing important ideas and explaining how the details support the main idea
◦ 1.6 extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other texts, and to the world around them
◦ 1.9 identify the point of view presented in texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts; give evidence of any biases they may contain; and suggest other possible perspectives)
Relevant English Expectations
Overview◦ Students examine the major factors and
significant events that led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867 and evaluate the natural and human challenges facing the advocates of union. They investigate regional interests and other factors that led to the growth of Canada, as other provinces and territories joined Confederation.
History Expectations
Overall◦Describe the internal and external political
factors, key personalities, significant events, and geographical realities that led to the creation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867, and to the growth of Canada as other provinces and territories joined Confederation
◦Use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about the needs and challenges that led to the formation and expansion of the Canadian federation
History Expectations
Specific◦ Identify key social, political, economic, and physical characteristics of the
British North American colonies between 1850and 1860 (e.g., British, French, First Nation, and Black communities)
◦ Identify external and internal factors and events leading to Confederation (e.g. political deadlock, inter-colonial trade, reciprocity, Britain’s repeal of the Corn Laws, the Fenian raids, the U.S. doctrine of Manifest Destiny, transportation and defense issues)
◦ use a variety of primary and secondary sources to locate relevant information about the regional interests of each colony/province before and after joining the Dominion of Canada
◦ describe and analyze conflicting points of view about a historical issue or personality
◦ communicate the results of inquiries for specific purposes and audiences, using media works, political cartoons, oral presentations, written notes and descriptions, drawings, tables, charts
◦ use appropriate vocabulary (e.g., Confederation, conference, political deadlock, reciprocity, inter-colonial trade, Corn Laws, Fenians, Manifest Destiny)
History Expectations
Sharing resources among staff: working together to schedule history and computer lab access at the same time.
Sharing assessment results
Consultation and collaboration
Introduce new app and project for each unit Consult and brainstorm with English
teachers about other uses for this new knowledge
Building capacity at school among students and staff
Launching discussion of learning styles and multi-modal literacy
One Unit: One App
Win them over; make them want to come to class and work
Meet in the classroom for mini-lessons, go immediately to the lab
Use Windows MovieMaker to create a slideshow comparing Canada to another country of the world, with soundtrack
Brainstorm criteria and post on class blog for reference
September
Blog – Project Page
Mini-lesson on MovieMaker plus one class to learn, play, show
Three or four classes to complete project Mini-lesson on copyright, Creative
Commons, copyright free music; one class to learn, play, apply
Present in classroom via Smartboard with commentary and comparisons
September-October
During September, information is synthesized in a visual, kinesthetic, oral and musical manner
Students who struggle with reading and written output feel no pressure in this class
V-A-K students are able to use natural skills to achieve Level 4
Modalities
Full list of comparative criteria is used Picture research is thoroughgoing and
original Music is appropriate and copyright free Basic structure is complete with titles and
credits Exploration of the app is demonstrated in
detail through design and integration of elements
Assessment
connecting the ideas … to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other texts, and to the world around them
… a range of strategies to construct meaning
Curriculum Connections
Factors leading to Confederation:◦ Fenian raids◦ Threat of an American takeover◦ Trade issues◦ Changing British attitudes◦ Rail links
October-December
Technology and routines are introduced Class lists are keyed into Excel for use with
Smart Response Senteo clickers Pages from textbook “Canada Revisited”
scanned for display on Smartboard Smart Notebook files prepared with chunked
information and discussion questions Brief Smart Response quizzes prepared
October-December
Routine◦ A new factor is introduced◦ Student volunteers take turns reading the
textbook passages◦ After each paragraph there are a few discussion
questions, most content-based◦ Smart response quiz, 6-8 questions◦ Go to lab to work on projects (MovieMaker)
October-December
Shared Reading & Discussion
Smart Response Quiz
Senteo Clicker, Smart Response
Depending on focus and details of discussion in the classroom, time in lab can be limited, so work on projects can sometimes proceed slowly.
Once in a while, just straight to lab for work on projects
October-December
Reading/writing: Use of shared reading as a strategy; strong readers like to volunteer
Visual: Smartboard, use of light, colour markers
Auditory: all material is read aloud Kinesthetic: Smart Response system
Modalities
Smart Response displays and saves detailed results for each quiz
More students demonstrate thorough understanding of each factor
No complaining, no behaviour issues Hugely satisfying for students with an LD,
especially boys, who have a keen grasp of military and economic issues but poor writing skills
Assessment
Smart Response Results
Smart Response Results
Identify external and internal factors and events leading to Confederation: reciprocity, Britain’s repeal of the Corn Laws, the Fenian raids, the U.S. doctrine of Manifest Destiny, transportation and defense issues
Use appropriate vocabulary, e.g., Confederation, conference, political deadlock, reciprocity, inter-colonial trade, Corn Laws, Fenians, Manifest Destiny
Curriculum Connections
Jennah is a hard-working 3+/4- student who is also in my English class.
She is so reading/writing oriented that she struggles to succeed in a V-A-K environment.
The alternative modalities that engage so many students simply do not work for her.
At the end of Term 1, I met with her and discussed this issue. I will be providing her with more opportunities for personal reading of texts and responding in writing. I encouraged her to self-advocate if she ever finds herself in this situation again.
Jennah M.
Bridging Confederation and the Development of Western Canada units
Discussion of the factors leading to Confederation is winding down
A new project is introduced Glogster or Prezi are explored Research skills are stressed
December-February
Steps in doing research promoted by our board begin with the Virtual Library and end with an open Internet search
Project instructions call for research using Virtual Library articles on Confederation, Sir John A. Macdonald, The Klondike Goldrush and the formation of the RCMP
December-February
The Prezi must include five text boxes containing summary writing on the topics, plus a text box that lists in point form the factors leading to Confederation
Supporting pictures Supporting videos
December-February
Articles are summarized effectively and in detail
Picture and video research is thorough and original
Exploration of the app is demonstrated in detail through design and integration of elements
Assessment
Articles must be read before summaries can be written
Word Q can be used Reading of non-fiction texts has been
scaffolded since fall Numerous auditory and visual project
components
Modalities
Working in the online environment helps students with an LD do research
They can cut and paste relevant facts from the articles into the text boxes
They can use their research and V-A-K learning skills to make a project that is appealing and exemplary in many regards
Accommodations
Demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex and difficult texts by summarizing important ideas
Read informational texts, e.g., essays, Canadian and global print and online sources, electronic texts, textbooks, dictionaries, thesauri, websites, transcripts
Curriculum Connections
In consultation with Grade 7 English and History teachers, we have developed a culminating activity for the New France unit.
Integrating history and narrative expectations.
Over the course of two or three classes, students learned Bitstrips via four Learning Activities, including making their avatar and populating the class picture.
March – Grade 7
Next, in the classroom, students brainstorm about many aspects of life in New France.
Then they go to the lab and create a six-panel story in Bitstrips involving one aspect of that historical time.
March – Grade 7
Observations◦ Despite the best efforts over several weeks on the
part of my colleagues who are amazing teachers most students were at a loss when asked to describe life in New France in the brainstorming session.
◦ Switching modes seemed to be a reality check on learning.
◦ The projects were fantastic and insightful, ranging from detailed depictions of events such as the Battle at the Plains of Abraham, to the role of the King, to daily life in pioneer times.
March – Grade 7
The culminating activity for the Confederation unit drew on all of the students’ knowledge of the factors and the related and opposing regional points of view
Moving from the graphic organizer to the online world of social media
Taking the traditional debate into the 21st century
Using Twiducate to simulate a social media experience in Canada in the 1860s
March – Back to Grade 8
Twiducate, a closed Twitter-like environment intended for use in schools
Students worked in pairs and drew a random role and region, eg. “A soldier from Canada West,” “A farmer from P.E.I.”
One pair were newscasters, with the handle News1860
March
We viewed several actual Twitter feeds where history buffs have posted day to day reports in the present, about the past.
World War II, the Titanic, the American Civil War and JFK's thousand days in office.
We viewed these sites on the Smartboard, and read out several tweets from each one to get the idea of style and content.
March
World War II
World War II
U.S. Civil War
JFK Thousand Days In Office
Titanic
Titanic
The students showed me vividly that they had a basic understanding of the factors leading to Confederation
They asked great questions about the politics of the day, extending their learning in a way that doesn't really happen in a regular class.
I also feel that using Twiducate was more effective for this aspect of the unit than an actual debate might have been. They could pause, discuss, question me, look up information, and still return to the online environment to participate.
March
I had set up one tweet in advance, about "Reports of Fenian troops approaching the US border.”
The students were asked to respond to the Fenian report and also to post one tweet about their day-to-day life in their roles, to begin with.
This gave the students something to work on while the newscasters prepared more tweets.
March
Twiducate
Twiducate
Twiducate
Twiducate
Twiducate
Key moment: one young man who is a top student stood up and said quite loudly, "Where exactly is the border between New Brunswick and Quebec, and also the United States? Can I go back to the classroom and pull down the map?”
This led in a natural way to others getting up, talking to me, checking the map, and creating their responses.
March
And another rewarding moment… On our next lab day, a time I had scheduled
to mark the last of the Prezis, students came to ask me if they could return to Twiducate instead, to continue the activity
March
Number of tweets Tweets reflect reality of Canada in 1860s Tweets reflect every day life Tweets reflect political views that match the
region and role correctly
Assessment
Discussion in pairs as part of the writing process
Active consultation of partner, teacher and classroom resources
Co-writing and editing Visual nature of threaded discussion
Modalities
Identify the point of view presented in texts
Describe and analyze conflicting points of view about a historical issue
Identify external and internal factors and events leading to Confederation
Communicate information about the needs and challenges that led to the formation and expansion of the Canadian federation
Curriculum Connections
Students work with partners on projects focusing on key figures and issues in Canada since the 1860s
Louis Riel, Nellie McClung, Japanese internment, the FLQ crisis, residential schools, and more.
Multi-media presentations using Smart Notebook
April – May - June
How do you see subject integration and literacy skill-building working with your present assignment?
Ideas for Integration
Any suggestions for apps which enhance multi-modal literacy skills…
App and unit combinations…
Sharing and Suggestions
