Annotated Bibliography

6^th Grade English Language Arts

Unit of study: self-discovery

These three texts and two websites all center on a self-discovery unit in a heterogeneous 6^th grade English language arts classroom. This unit includes lessons on self-awareness and decision making while using different types of literature texts and technologies. The purpose of this unit is for students to understand that the individual person goes through different stages in their life that helps to discover who they are as a person in a very dynamic way. During this unit, students will be able to identify and explain events in their own lives, look at what characteristics help develop a person, and write a personal “road map” for who they are. This unit will focus on comparing characteristic traits of characters and self and the processes a person takes as they get older. Students will be able to assess their and peers’ writing through lessons aimed at the writing process.  

The school will provide many supplementary resources for the students to use and use for in class projects and presentations. Average achieving students in this classroom will have access to many different learning styles and techniques in order to help them succeed. Furthermore, while students are reading 42 Miles, A Long Walk to Water, and Wild Girl students will utilize kidsblog.com to respond to classmates, class discussions, and ask questions about the literature they are reading in and outside of class. Students will have already been given the chance and demonstrated how to use the site prior to the unit beginning. Students will be given enough notice about when their blogs are due. For students who may not have access to a computer there will be arrangements made for them to use the computers at school.

42 Miles

Tracie Vaugh Zimmer

Flesch-Kincaid grade level: 4.5

A very different writing style for a young adult literature text, 42 Miles, offers students during this unit to follow the journey of the main character JoEllen through her discovery to figure out who she is. Her parents are divorced and they live in two very different lives; Mom lives in the city and calls her Ellen and Dad lives in the country and calls her Joey. She feels as though she has two separate lives and she is not sure how to make these two separate worlds become one. Throughout the entire story JoEllen struggles to fit into both her mom and dad’s world, on her thirteenth birthday she makes a wish that both her worlds will become one and she will no longer feel like she is two different people.

I plan on using this text as the first text read in our unit. The text will be read outside the classroom with the assistance of reading guides. While in class, students will be asked to look at different poetry and styles pertaining to similar style as the text. Students will break into heterogeneous groups to complete assignments to answer questions about poetry and why its important for an individual to help express themselves and how poetry often times tells a part of a person’s life. Because this book is written in a poem like autobiography style students will be asked to write a poem autobiography similar to the text. Students will work independently to work on the writing process. Students will be asked to make a presentation of their work.

Wild Girl

Patricia Reilly Giff

Lexile: 640 L

 

Twelve-year-old Lidie spends several years in Brazil living with her aunt and uncle while her brother and father move to New York. Lidie waits for her father to send for her, but when he finally does she is reluctant to leave the horse she loves so much. Once she moves to America she struggles to find her place and has many difficulties with things that came so easy to her in Brazil. Her brother and father still treat her as if she is a seven-year-old and Lidie has to show her family that she is a growing young adult. When her brother is training to become a jockey her greatest task is to show everyone that she is a better rider than her brother and that she has a passion for riding. Lidie develops a certain relationship and bond with the new horse that comes to the ranch in order to help her discover and find her place in America.

Before reading this text, students will be asked to create a poster about Brazil. The poster will have important facts and information about Brazil because that is where the story takes place. During this unit, students will read this text as a whole class and sometimes will be broken into small groups to complete a reading guide. While reading this story students will be asked to compare the characters in this story because the story narration is from the different perspectives of the characters in the story. This story is perfect for opening up class discussions. Students will be asked to make a literacy circle several times during this text reading because the text is very dominant in the manner of how Lidie struggles to find herself. Students will easily be able to relate themselves to the text because she has a passion for horses and she finds herself relying on her love for horses to show that.

A Long Walk to Water

Linda Sue Park

Lexile: 720L

Based on a true story, A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. The girl, Nya, fetches water from a pond that is two hours' walk from her home. During this time, she spends a lot of time thing about her life. She makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the "lost boys" of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. The young boy has many hardships in his journey from loneliness to attack by armed rebels. During his journey he comes in contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya's because although they are set in two different time periods both young adult struggle to see who and why they are so important.

A Long Walk to Water is another text that will be read in class because the story itself is a little more complex. In order to make sure students will understand the important self-discoveries both these dynamic characters make students will be asked as small groups to complete a research project on Sudan now and then. Student will work cooperatively to complete a inquiry project in order to look at Sudan and how it has changed over time and the struggles a person may have. Student will be asked to be creative and come up with a way they could present their finding to the class. Also, while reading this text students will be able to watch a clip with the actual boy who the story is centered and the author Linda Sue Park. During this activity, student will complete.

Teen Ink

http://www.teenink.com

Teen Ink is a website from a teen magazine encouraging student work. On this site, it is a chance for teens to publish their work and look at the work of other teens. It is easy to maneuver and very appealing to students. Students are encouraged to read and vote on their favorite poems, fiction, non-fiction, videos, and art. On the site, there is a chance for students to produce a video about the poetry they created. Teen Ink also offers students a chance to read forums about the writing process. On the main toolbar of the site there is a place for students to review literature they have read. This site is easy for students to use independently or it could be used as teacher resource to enhance different lessons in an English language arts classroom.

Teen Ink is a great website to use during this unit because when they are reading 42 Miles they are going to have to produce a poem autobiography. This website will be used as a resource to both the students and the teachers. On this site there are many poems on self images and person discovery. Students would be given the chance to look at writing from other teens. When the students have completed the writing process it would be beneficial to the students who wrote their pieces well to be able to submit their work for others to read. This website would also be used in other units because many other poetry styles are on available for review on the site. This site is great because there are many examples of poetry.  

Teens at Random

Retrieved from: http://teensatrandom.com

Teens at Random is not a primary website I would use during this unit, but it would be a supplemental website used to help students choose other books that are related to self-discovery. On the website, there are many book lists that promote reading great young adult literature. Students could also look at different authors who write these books. This website provides students the chance to read about what new books are coming out. Students are also able to sign up for newsletters called SisterInk in order to have up-to-date information on new book releases. There are also opportunities for students play games and watch videos about books turned movies.

Students would be encouraged to read a book outside the classroom for extra credit because from a book from this site; this site is driven on new books. During this unit, students would be encouraged to look-up books they may be interested in. This unit opens many doors for students choosing self-selected books. This unit they are  learning and reading about the journeys of  people, places, and themselves. Allowing these students to choose a book and to reflect on the book is a great way to encourage students to read outside the classroom on material they choose to read. For the self selected books the students read they would be required to blog about their book they are reading and students would be required to answer and comment about the book they are reading. This website is fantastic because it helps students look at new books as a good thing. By using this website there is hope that it would promote reading among students to read literature for fun.

References:

Giff, Patricia Reilly (2009). Wild Girl. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Park, Linda Sue (2010). A Long Walk to Water. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn (2008). 42 Miles. New York, NY: Clarion Books.

Student Websites 4

World Book Students

http://www.worldbookonline.com/

World Book online for students is a great resource site for any classroom. In order to use this website you need a username and password for students to gain full access to all the information that could be found. This website is strictly the encyclopedia online. If the World Book student information being looked up is too difficult then student may also use World Book kids which breaks the information in smaller bits and makes it easier to comprehend. The website itself is very easy to navigate around and it would be easy for students to use on their own if they needed a quick answer to something. Students are also presented with worldly information. There are also quizzes and activities on the website for students to complete. There is also a section on how to complete correct research (tips and tools). In my classroom I would use this website for students who were working on a research project. This online encyclopedia would be a great way for students to build on their background. Students could either work in partners to look up the information or they may do it independently. Students often times like to read about information they know nothing about and World Book allows students the access to that information.

National Geographic Kids

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/

A website that would be a fun activity for students to use is National Geographic for Kids. On this website students presented with information on animals, countries, and news topics. This website is very easy to navigate and it is pleasing to the children. Students are able to look through photos, listen to videos, and read articles. In my classroom, students would be broken into groups and would be asked to follow a reading guide. Students would be responsible looking up information about animals or news topics. This website is a great way to read about current events around the world that may deal with animals in their habitat. With each article of information there are photos of the animals to enhance the article. This website is a great way to introduce a writing process because students normally enjoy reading about animals. As an extra on the website there is a place labeled fun stuff where students can look up animal crafts!  




This is what the website looks like!





Reading Next Online Activity

1.) Literacy programs in the United States have been changed over the decades many times in order to fulfill the criteria needed to “fix” the increasing rate of students achieving below grade-level. In the article, Reading Next, it made valid points about the American literacy rate and the affects administrators and teachers need to consider when teaching the curriculum. Reading Next made many connections to the topics we have discussed in class. McKenna’s reading guides are the perfect expectations students need to follow and they set clear purpose for the text and or topic they are reading. When creating reading guides teachers need to be considerate of the students to make sure they are not “general” and are actually helping students who actually need to the extra organization and comprehension of the text. Moore, Bean, Birdyshaw, and Rycik mention the seven principles students deserve. The first principle, adolescents deserve access to wide variety of reading they mention the decrease in amount of time they spend reading for fun. This holds very true because adolescents have difficulty comprehending newspapers, magazine articles, even recipes. While in school students are either not caring enough to try or students are having a much harder time comprehending the curriculum because it is too high. Gunning mentions the use of graphic organizers. This is a very important tool for students who are struggling or need the extra organization skill/tool to help them comprehend what they have read. Literacy programs need to be reevaluated and teachers need to consider making sure the steps they are using is to help their students achieve are actually working to help students twenty and thirty years from when they taught it.

2.) In my language arts classroom I would have students use text-based collaborate learning by engaging them in a variety of activities. One way would be to prepare a critical thinking reading guide on a text we were reading in class. In order to have student collaborate I would break them into groups of four. While in these groups they would be given the opportunity to build and express background knowledge of the topic being discussed in the text. Students would also be able to refer to the text and make connections. The texts that would be used during the small group activity would be articles that are different and vary in complexity. Although, the text would be of interest, so students can relate and help generate discussion. By giving the student different ability texts it differentiates instruction and allows students to explore new topics. With using the reading guide and the variety of texts students are being set-up to have success in discussion and participation.

Intensive writing is a skill and approach I would teach in my classroom; there are many ways to address intensive writing. In my class, students would use simple articles, reading guides, and or critical thinking short stories to help reinforce comprehension and to help them generate ideas about what to write about. Students would be asked to complete writing samples while completing the writing process. Making sure to think about the writing process and what is going to truly help them well into the future, I would have my students write resumes, cover letters, research papers, and narratives. Each one of those writing topics would help any student way into the future. The writing process would be separated into parts so that students can work at their own pace and so the writing taking place is clear and written well. Students would be able to complete each part of the writing process and would be able to check his or her own work this way the student feels ownership of their work.

Inquiry Question 3

How can we use social media to spark an interest in young adult literature?

It seems as though there are many students who already have used, heard, or talked about some form of social media. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, blogs, AIM, or emails the point is that students have gained interest in these changing technological times. As an educator, we need to think about how we can use this collaboration with students to determine ways to teach them about young adult literature. By that, I mean knowing most students use and read posts on Facebook or blogs everyday it would be a great idea as an educator to teach to that point. For instance, co- teachers in Tennessee had their students create a Facebook page pertaining to a specific character in the story they were reading. Students were responsible for placing accurate information on the profile page also the posts they made had to relate to the text.

One may argue social media has changed the views of literature altogether. Students no longer want to read about characters they cannot relate too. If the story is set in a long time ago students are going to be more reluctant to gain interest in the story. If teachers (seems to be the common thread now a days) can relate them to what students love then maybe students will eventually have more knowledge and interest in the story being read. In a survey about social media and young adult literature,“The survey found that 19 per cent never read fiction books and 20 per cent never read non-fiction. In contrast, almost two-thirds surf websites every week, 55 per cent read emails and 46 per cent blogs.” Knowing this is how our students read and learn does influence us as educators.

Considering blogs have gained a lot of popularity over the years, studies have shown students gain lots of information and can recall information easier when they are used. Overall, we need to embrace the changes social media has had on young adult literature. In classrooms across America there are posters teachers can buy that use social media to depict a certain point. This is another way students are going to make connections to the literature they are reading. Over time, we need to evaluate to see if these methods are truly having a positive impact on our students and their learning.

Clark, L.. “Books Left on the Shelf: A Fifth of Pupils Only Read Blogs and Magazines.” Daily Mail ­(London, England), Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1167284/Books-left-shelf-A-fifth-pupils-read-blogs-magazines.html. November 8, 2011. 

MacLeod, F. 2008. “Texts, Blogs and Facebook: The New Literacy.” The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland), Retrieved from http://www.scotsman.com/news/education/txts_blogs_and_facebook_the_new_literacy_1_1156064. November 8, 2011.

Student Websites 3

Teens @ Random

http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/

Students will be able to use this website in many different ways. It is a website from the publishing company Random House, so any books that they publish is displayed on the screen. The website gives students to have opportunities to look up or check out really good books and books that are in the buzz. On the site there is a place for students to be able to chat and look up different authors. Students are also able to subscribe to free updates on books that can potentially be sent to their mobile device or an email account. On the right side of the site students can read Twitter posts on upcoming author meet and greets and things that are happening in the young adult literature world. I think this would be a great way for students to independently get a new way to look at new release books that they could read. It seems as though the website is very easy to use and students would be able to maneuver around the site. This website might be used to grab the students’ interest of literature in a different approach. In the fun section of the website students are able to play games that relate to the books being “displayed.” Overall, I think students might actually be able to gain some interest from the website and young adult literature.

Time for Kids

http://www.timeforkids.com/

Time for Kids could be used in many different ways. This website is a tool for students to catch-up and research current events. The website has many things the students can do. There are photos and videos the students can watch. The videos and photos that are in this section of the website relates to what is happening in that part of the year. For instance, it is the month of October so there are articles and photos on Halloween around the world, Halloween history, and other videos that relate to campaigns students could potentially help with. Personally, what I like about this website is that has a section on around the world. This section gives students a particular “subject” they can read about. In the classroom I might use this for student to start a research project. Or I might use it to have student complete a current event project. I would use it to start an interest in the topic and they could use the website independently to access. I like that Time offers students a place for homework help too.

            

Inquiry Question 2

Can social medium boost literacy skills in young adult readers?

It is evident young children are aware of the different types of social media. I think most people would agree that children 7-16 at least have heard of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, emails, and text messages. All these mediums seem to play an effect on students and literacy. In the article, Can Social Networking Boost Literacy Skills? Written by the Alberta Teacher Association it talks about how there have been many studies indicating that students read more social mediums than they read text while in the classroom. More that 50 per cent of the young adults studied admitted to reading a social medium outside of school on a daily basis. It is important to understand that there is an interest with students reading literature from technology. It does raise another question, are we then worried about what students are reading on these different mediums.

The article also raises the point that with literacy increasing in with social media the involvement of the writing process has also increase. Students who are reading more are feeling more confident in the area of writing. If a student is fluent in reading than the chances of their writing ability is increased. Students are no longer writing long written reports when asked to do so they are now writing emails, forums, texts, and or blogs. The study also showed that students enjoy writing on these networks and there were an increased percentage of students who participated in the classes whom had blogs or some sort of response to make via technology.

After reading the article it was pleasant to see that there is actual data on the amount and increase of students who use social media outside of the classroom. Granted students are no blogging about shoes or how their day was, but in order to have someone follow them they definitely have to read the post before they can correctly relate and leave a message. I also believe students have a boost of literacy due to these different social mediums. Whether this is the way we wanted our future leaders to develop their literacy skills it seems we should embrace the social networking world to help our student become better readers and writers.

Alberto Teacher Association (2010). Can Social Networking Booster Literacy Skills? Retrieved from http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/The%20Learning%20Team/Volume-14/Number-1/Pages/Can-social-networking-boost-literacy-skills.aspx on October 20, 20011.

I have not given nor recieved help on this project.

Student Websites 2

A. Grammar
2. Guide to Grammer and Writing (Capital Community College)
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar
3. This website would be a good resource for students because it gives examples of different aspects of grammar students tend to struggle with. Threre are different choices the students can make in order to look up what they are having difficulty; such as clauses, pronouns, puncuation etc. On the website students are given the definition, example, and how its used. Also, on this website is a section on research and essay writing and paragraph level. There is also a quiz section at the end of each area of English. After reading the information the student is looking up a short quiz is offered. Overall, students would be able to use this website as a resource for when they come across something and they need a quick and easy way to look it up. The way the information on the website is set-up is easy to manuever and students would be able to independently use this website.

                                                       

A. Grammar
2. Info Please- Homework Center
http://www.infoplease.com/homework/english-grammar-spelling.html
3. Students would use this website as a reference. There are different parts of English students can look up. When students make a choice on the  part of English they are looking up there is a definition and then examples. The website is geared toward grammar, but it gives a guide to style and parts of speech. The website is easy to use and student friendly. There are quizzes on the website for students to "test" what they read and learned. The information on the website is a great tool for students to use when they are unaware of the meaning or usage of grammar. A great tool when peer editing or writing a draft.