Brief Description
As part of a semester-long author study, middle school students will
join the program "London Bridges, " in which students discuss authors and
books with students in other states and other countries.
Standards and Frameworks
Technology Standards
4T-E3. Collaboratively
use telecommunications and online resources
Academic Standards
W-E6: Write formal
communications, such as personal or business letters, messages, directions
and applications, in an approriate format and for a specific audience and
purpose
Objectives
Academic
Students will take part in book
discussions in order to discuss theme, plot, characterization, setting
and personal connections.
Technological
Students will be active members
in an on-line book club by reading postings, replying to postings and creating
new postings.
Pre-Requisite Technology Skills
Students need to know how go
to a specific URL.
Materials
Handout titled Discussion
Boards Help
Accommodations for Special
Needs
Students may work in partners
or in small groups for support. The level of book or author studied may
be adjusted to meet students' needs.
Procedures
Prior to going to the lab:
This lesson for taking part
in an online book club is an on-going part of a semester-long author study.
Before joining "London Bridges," the students have:
-
selected their author (with teacher
facilitation),
-
read at least one book written
by their author,
-
completed assignments regarding
plot, characterization, and theme,
-
met with their author study group
to discuss plot, characterization, theme and any
connections between various works of one author.
Two or three days prior to going
to the computer lab, the teacher will use the Aver-key to familiarize the
students with the E-pal book
club site. The teacher will:
-
model how to sign up for an e-pals
account,
-
show the students how to read
postings, how to reply to postings and how to create their own posting.
There will also be a discussion of the types of information (personal)
that do not belong in a posting. Use the hand-out titled "Discussion Boards
Help" (attached).
-
lead the students in a discussion
evaluating some of the postings. Leading questions may include: Why or
why not does this posting invite a response? If so, what type of response?
How could you respond to keep the discussion going?
-
help the class generate a group
posting that will serve as a model for the students' individual postings.
-
show the students the feature
for translating their posting into French, Spanish, Portugese, Italian,
German, Japanese and /or Chinese. All student postings will be in English.
At the lab:
Students will need to sign
up for an epals account at http://www.epals.com/register/.After
creating their own account, students will go to the URL: http://www.epals.com/projects/class/
and click on e-pals book clubs. They will scroll down and click on:
Join the discussion boards now. The teacher will circulate as the students
search for "their" author and as they scroll through the postings.
By the end of the class, each student will have posted their own message.
Assessment
Before the students post their
message, they must show it to the teacher.
The criteria for the students'
messages includes:
-
use of appropriate grammar and
spelling
-
a connection between two of the
authors' works or an evaluative statement based on a theme, plot, or characterization
-
a question inviting a response
Teacher Name: Cathy
Crockett
Site: Coronado
K-8
Date Submitted: January
26, 2002