Memoir Blog
Author(s):


April Bose and Baylee Miller
W401 23621

Grade Level:

1st grade

Timeframe:
This lesson will span over two days and each day we will spend 40 minutes on this lesson. There may be more additional time given later for students to continue collaborating and blogging with each other about their written work.

Lesson Description or Explanation

During our unit of study over memoirs our students will be required to post their memoir drafts on a blog. This will allow students to participate in an electronic authors circle using technology as a way to receive feedback from more than one peer as well teaching them how to communicate with technology.

Indiana Curricular Standards


English/Language artsStandard 4: WRITING: ProcessThe writing process includes prewriting, drafting, editing, and revising. Students progress through these stages to write clear, coherent, and focused paragraphs and essays.
Standard 5: WRITING: ApplicationsThrough the exploration of different types of writing and the characteristics of each, students become proficient at narrative (stories), expository (informational), descriptive (sensory), persuasive (emotional appeal), argumentative (logical defense), and technical writing. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience (intended reader) and purpose for writing.

ISTE Standards

2. Communication and Collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance,
to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments
and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
solutions.

Assessments
Formative/Summative

We will asses our students by measuring the depth and quality of their feedback as well as the way they navigate through the technology. For example, it is our goal that after completing a posting on wikispace as a collective group, students will be able to do this independently with some support from peers or teachers. Will they constantly need to ask questions of the teachers/classmates? In addition we will assess how comfortable the students were while using the technology and blogging. This will help us to determine if students need more support with navigating and understanding technology. We understand this can be a daunting task for first graders, but feel that with our support and demonstrations it is within their abilities considering the amount of technology they use now in the classroom. For this part of our unit we will be using formative assessments because this is an addition to our overall unit on memoirs.

Prior Knowledge

Curricular Knowledge or Skills:
Students have prior knowledge of what a memoir is, the writing cycle, and collaborating work.
Technology Knowledge:
Prior to our unit on memoirs our students have little to no knowledge on blogging, however they do have a substantial understanding of the computer and its basic functions.

Technology


Internet Resources: (please list URLs)
http://www.wikispaces.com/

Hardware: computers and the internet

Software: Microsoft Word

Procedure

Have student begin by typing the first draft of their memoirs in Microsoft Word. Upon the finishing of this first draft we will, as a class, work together to upload everyone’s draft onto wikispace. The final step will involve students logging into this site and offering feedback and suggestions to each other’s memoirs.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
Currently we do not have any ESL students yet we feel that this lesson as well as our whole unit of study would support second language learners because they would be required to write something personal, such as the memoir, as well as have gain experience using English. If we were to have any ESL students we, as teachers, are away of such resources us as ePalS and know of translation websites and we would integrate such things as necessary.

Challenge/Extend

This lesson is going to be a challenge for the whole class because we are introducing to them a new use of technology to them.

Special Needs

We have one student in our class that would be considered to have a mild case of cerebral palsy. As a result we have a special mouse set up for this student and we have prepared to give this student extra time to navigate through the resources we have asked the students to use.